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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27524731">Nanoarrow: Saviors of the Planet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plain__Jane/pseuds/Plain__Jane'>Plain__Jane</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I really hope to do everyone justice, I’m working on the plot line just slowly, M/M, This is just a Voltron rewrite, everyone has a different name, i had to rewatch Voltron and actually pay attention for this, this is gonna take me forever I’m not even gonna lie, you'll know who’s who though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 05:53:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27524731</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plain__Jane/pseuds/Plain__Jane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nanoarrow was a vessel that had helped the people in the Universe for centuries. The Paladins of Nanoarrow protected worlds from the Aniceous, a power hungry group of aliens that destroyed whole galaxy’s. Without Nanoarrow, the Universe would be destroyed. After the old Paladins of Nanoarrow disappear, and the Aniceous start to get closer to Earth. A new group has to take over. Earth, and worlds past the Milky Way depend on these Paladins. Will the new Paladins be able to save the world? Or will the end of Nanoarrow, and the world as we know it come sooner than we all thought?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), OC/Shiro, One sided Allura/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Origins of Nanoarrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I only have the first chapter ready, and I haven’t finished my Voltron rewatch yet, so I have no clue when the next chapter will be out. I’m plan to finish Voltron soon. This is just a Voltron rewrite. I’m really hoping to do everyone justice. I have so much written out that I want to change and I’m hoping to not disappoint myself and anyone else who reads this. I hope you enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thousands of years ago on a planet called Eerodoth, lived a king, a queen, and their daughter. King Archelaus of Eerodoth was a simple man, he lived to see the joy in his family’s face as he returned home each day, and lived to keep the people of the universe safe and happy. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He was given the bayard of the Red Bear when he turned twenty, his father having passed it down to him when he had gotten too old to pilot him anymore. It was an honor to have the bayard passed to him, even more of an honor for the Red Bear to accept him as his paladin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The other bears had received new paladins also. Green went to the doctor's son, a smart young boy that knew more than everyone in the room combined, he was small, quick, knew too much for his young age. An Olk’ala, with long white ears and a small tail that wagged one hundred miles an hour. His species was skittish, and held too much worry for their small bodies. Rehan wasn’t though, he knew he could do things no one else could. Archelaus did too.</p><p> </p><p>Watching the small boy receive his bayard, the boy couldn’t of been eighteen, put a smile on Archelaus’s face. They weren’t supposed to talk, his father had said not to, the boy didn’t listen though.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Rehan, we’ll be fighting next to each other, Prince Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>“King now”</p><p> </p><p>He made sure his father wasn’t looking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“My father is stepping down, don’t tell anyone I told you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rehan turned his head, he stood straight and looked at the people he would be protecting.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s an honor to fight with you King Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>Lyle, a larger boy, older, received the Yellow Bear. He was quiet, and didn't say anything when he reached them. He smiled nervously, and stood with his bayard clutched in his hand. He held it as if it was the most precious item he had ever carried, it might have been. He was Eerodoth, Archelaus had seen him around before.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Blue Bear went to Zyair. Archelaus had grown up with the boy. He couldn’t believe that the Blue Bear had chosen such a, to say it in the nicest way, a not well put together person. Zyair was nice, but a joke to the Eerodothian people. He was also young, like Rehan and himself, but dumb and naive. He hoped the Blue Bear knew what she was doing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Prince Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>He greeted as he bowed. He winked at Archelaus before going to stand by Lyle. Zyair had always been like that, very friendly towards him, Archelaus never put much thought into it.</p><p> </p><p>The Black Bear, the strongest and most daring of the bears, the leader of Nanoarrow, went to Zelkovas. Zelkovas had grown up alongside Archelaus, at times Archelaus saw him as a brother. Archelaus questioned the Bears choice.</p><p> </p><p>Though Zelkovas was the son of a retired war general, and fought alongside his father for many years, Zelkovas was greedy and self centered. He hoped he could trust the Black Bear. He hoped the Bear knew Zelkovas better than he did.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They fought the Aniceous for years, with Marcella, a princess from the kingdom over, the Eerodoth that Archelaus was supposed to marry one day. No one had ever said it aloud, they didn’t talk about it on the ship. They brought down entire empires of Aniceous, the people of the universe praised them, looked up to them. Archelaus was a hero.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It never set right with Archelaus , that he was saving the universe like his father used to, that he did it in the same vessel that he father piloted. That he got close to people he didn’t know till the day he was assigned the Bear. He never felt like a real hero. He also never saw the Zelkovas he used to know after the first day of being a paladin again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You can’t fuck it up Zyair, that’s all you do, can you please get something right for once”</p><p> </p><p>They had gotten back from destroying a fleet of ships that had attacked a small planet. Nothing went horribly wrong. Everyone was alive and the ships were gone, Archelaus couldn’t find the problem.</p><p> </p><p>“I- I’m sorry Zelkovas, I’ll try harder next time, alright”</p><p> </p><p>“You said that the last time”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas stormed off, leaving the rest of them standing in the docking bay.</p><p> </p><p>“You did fine Zyair”</p><p> </p><p>Marcella looked after their home base while they were gone. She placed her hand on Archelaus’s arm and smiled at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks”</p><p> </p><p>They didn’t see Zyair or Zelkovas after days like these, which quickly turned into an everyday occurrence. The man who once led their team became distant, the boy who held everything together was quiet. Things had changed the longer they were in space.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus prided himself on knowing everyone on the team. He thought he knew them like the back of his hand. He mentioned his and Marcella’s engagement one day at dinner. Everyone seemed thrilled, he had to produce an heir some day, someone who could take his place when he passed. Zelkovas had rolled his eyes and congratulated him. </p><p> </p><p>“Always the first to everything aren’t you Archy”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair quit talking completely. He ran from the room whenever Archelaus was there. That was the beginning of the downfall.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Can I talk to you guys”</p><p> </p><p>“This is the first time you’ve talked in months Zyair, you can tell us anything”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair stopped taking care of himself. He had to be forced to eat food goo, he didn’t try like he used to while piloting. Everyone was constantly worried, but didn’t say anything.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I’m worthy, of being the pilot of the Blue Bear, I tried to ask her about something, about Red, and it pissed her off, and now she’s not talking to me, I don’t feel wanted anymore, so I was thinking of, stepping down, as a paladin”</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair you can’t, we need you, who’s gonna replace you”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair looked up and met eyes with Marcella. He looked broken.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure you can find someone else, I know you can, I’m not special, I’m just there, you can find someone else Archelaus, it won’t be that hard”</p><p> </p><p>“We aren’t finding anyone else, you are the paladin of the Blue Bear, it chose you Zyair, that means you understand her better than anyone else, just because she’s angry doesn’t mean you can’t work with her”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas laughed. His laughter lasted longer than it should have.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You idiot Archelaus, it’s not about the Blue Bear, is it Zyair, I think I can guess what’s wrong though”</p><p> </p><p>“I never meant for it to happen okay, I didn’t think I’d, he, he just means a lot to me, okay, and I know that I shouldn’t let it affect me, or anyone else but I just-“</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas folded his hands on the table and stared at Zyair. The expression on his face was something Archelaus had never seen on him before, something new, something evil.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s expecting Zyair, but I think you know that, don’t you, is that why you’re leaving, because you could never ha-“</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Shut up, you don’t know shit about me”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I know enough”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They stared at each other. Archelaus didn’t know for how long, Zyair eventually stood up and rushed away from the table. Zyair was their weakness, it was the thing that Zelkovas had been looking for.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was years before anything happened. Archelaus now had a baby girl, Angelica. She looked so much like her mother, she was beautiful, well behaved. Archelaus was a father.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“She’s adorable Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lyle had always talked about wanting children. The closest thing he had ever had to that was him holding Angelica.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zyair was the only one who didn’t show up to the delivery room. Archelaus found him in the cockpit of his Bear. He sniffled softly.</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair”</p><p> </p><p>He jumped out of his chair and turned quickly, his bayard was activated, Archelaus put his hands in the air.</p><p> </p><p>“I surrender”</p><p> </p><p>The bayard deactivated, it loudly hit the ground by Zyair’s feet. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, congrats by the way”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus sat by the bayard, he picked it up and flipped it in his hands, it didn’t activate, it wouldn’t activate.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to meet her”</p><p> </p><p>“I never meant for it to be this way, I feel like I’m disappointing everyone by acting like this, I put my feeling first and now I’m hurt, and it’s hurting everyone else, people have died because I’ve fucked up so much and, I’m sorry Archelaus, I’m sorry”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus’s face dropped.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to apologize Zyair, I know that you’ve never meant to-“</p><p> </p><p>“I love you”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus knew that. He didn’t want to respond, he hoped this day would never come. Here it was.</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair, I’m married, I’m a father”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, that’s why I said I’m sorry, I’m sorry”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus hit his head against the door of the cockpit. His ears rang for a while as he just stood there. What was he supposed to say?</p><p> </p><p>“I- Zyair, I’m, you should have said something sooner, I would have-“</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You knew, I was hoping it would go away, but it just gets worse every year, and I hate it, I hate it so much, it hurts Arch, but I wasn’t gonna tell you that because it doesn’t fucking matter, you don’t think of me like that, I should be over it”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair was their broken piece.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I love you and I’m sorry, now get the fuck out of my Bear and go be with your daughter Arch, she needs you more than I do right now”</p><p> </p><p>He never looked at Zyair the same, well when he could look at Zyair. He only stayed out for their missions and went to his room after. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While Zyair was broken, Zelkovas was living the life he had always wanted. The people chanted the name of Nanoarrow as they walked through the street. Everyone knew who they were and what they did.</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus was scared of him. He was worried about his wife and daughters safety. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They were in a meeting, they had been fighting more recently, more people were getting injured. They were talking about the cause.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“They know we’re the people they have to beat Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t explain how they know our every move, and where we are every second of the day, they have technology that we don’t and we have to find a way to stop whatever they’re using to find us, or we’ll never be able to defeat them”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas sat in his chair and stared at Archelaus as he spoke. His dark eyes unimpressed.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, no shit, I think we should work harder and maybe form a new strategy, get someone else on our side, there are people on this team who aren’t working like they should”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas’s eyes shifted to Lyle, Rehan, and Zyair then turned back to Archelaus.</p><p> </p><p>“We should all put more effort into it I feel”</p><p> </p><p>“Without us”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan cut in, he tied his ears back, so they stopped interfering with his sight. He started doing that a couple years ago.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You wouldn’t even be able to form Nanoarrow, even if you don’t like it, all of us are a crucial part of the team, I don’t give a shit if you don’t think so, it’s the truth Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Rehan’s right”</p><p> </p><p>Lyle had placed his hands on the table, it shook with the impact.</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you suddenly hating on us now, you act like your leadership has been any good, if you want us to be better than lead us better, we follow what you do”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair didn’t say anything. He had become practically mute, said even less than he used to. Ever since he told Archelaus he loved him, he wouldn’t even speak to him. It was hard to work that way.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m trying my hardest Lyle, it’s not easy being the leader, if you want to lead, than go ahead, the Black Bear is all yours, it would be my pleasure to become the leg”</p><p> </p><p>“You know the Black Bear would never listen to me, what the fuck has happened to you”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“The Black Bear doesn’t listen to me either, I’ve always made the Black Bear do what I want it to, I don’t listen to her, I force her to listen to me, it’s always been that way my dear Lyle, I don’t intend to change that”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I agree with Lyle”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus hung his head, he didn’t dare look up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’re leadership has been spotty lately, we almost died last mission, that’s the closest we’ve every gotten, I don’t want to leave my daughter without a father figure in her life Zelkovas, we need to be more careful, I also think you’ve been treating us like shit”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“After all we’ve been through, I really thought you were gonna be the one person on my side”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas through his hands in the air and looked at the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I guess I was fucking wrong”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The door opened and Angelica ran through. Her long white hair bounced, her horns had just started to grow. It filled Archelaus with pride.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello darling, daddy is busy at the moment, can you give me a dobosh, alright”</p><p> </p><p>She handed him a flower. He smiled and picked it up, placing the flower behind his ear. She crawled into his lap and set her elbows on the table. She glared at everyone else in the room. They all smiled except for Zelkovas.</p><p> </p><p>“We haven’t been able to form Nanoarrow lately, does anyone have a guessed to why”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas softened his voice. He didn’t look at Angelica though, didn’t acknowledge her.</p><p> </p><p>“Our bond isn’t as strong as it used to be, I’m not talking about Yellow and I connection either”</p><p> </p><p>“Our bond hasn’t changed”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas’s voice was steady, he laughed his words out, like it was the stupidest thing that he had ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>“We are the same pilots of Nanoarrow, and everyone stills want to save the universe, do we still want to save the universe”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone nodded their heads.</p><p> </p><p>“Good, see, we can’t form Nanoarrow because someone is lying, and I have a guess as to who that is, would anyone like to guess before I do”</p><p> </p><p>“Leave him alone Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>“So you all already know who it is, not surprising, it’s quite easy to tell who doesn’t give a shit anymore”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair's head was pressed against the table, they couldn’t see his expression. His hands shook against the wood, they were balled in fist. Zyair didn’t answer.</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair, please enlighten us as to why you’ve stopped trying as hard as you used to, or do I have to tell everyone why”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It has nothing to with him, and everything to do with you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zyair clenched his teeth, Zelkovas looked shocked at his answer. Anyone who looked hard enough could tell it was fake.</p><p> </p><p>“Me, why me”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve been a fucking dick to me lately, all you’ve done is bring me down and tell me how fucking useless I am, I’m fucking tired of it Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas looked at everyone in the room and shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“No one is disagreeing with me, they never have, maybe you are useless Zyair, that’s not for me to decide though”</p><p> </p><p>“Quit”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus barked it loudly. He glared at Zelkovas and shook his head. Angelica bounced in his lap. She dug in her pocket and pulled out another flower, she handed it to Zyair. He smiled at her.</p><p> </p><p>“No one is useless, we all have a purpose on this team, even if the other teammates think that purpose is insignificant, we are all here for a reason, now we have to work together to defeat the Aniceous so the universe is safe again”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He turned his head to Zelkovas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Quit it, meeting dismissed”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t get to decide when the meeting ends”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Everyone stood up and left except for Zelkovas, Archelaus, and Angelica. Lyle and Rehan mumbled about how shitty the meeting was. Zyair said nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know what had gotten into you Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus looked at Zelkovas. Zelkovas looked like he wasn’t listening.</p><p> </p><p>“But I hope you stop soon, I know you’re better than this, we’ve known Zyair our whole lives and you have never treated him like this way before, I know that he isn’t the best pick, or at least you and I don’t think he’s the best pick for the Blue Bear, but she chose him okay, and he does good if you don’t treat him like shit”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas kept a straight face, he showed no emotion.</p><p> </p><p>“Please, he’s the blue paladin whether you like him or not, and I hope you start treating him with respect, you didn’t always treat him this way, just remember that”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus was almost out the door before Zelkovas answered.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe you’ve just never noticed how I treat him”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He pushed Angelica out the door and didn’t look back. He heard it close and sighed. The world always changed too fast. Archelaus should be use to it by now, he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As the days ticked on and Angelica got older, the bond of the Nanoarrow Paladins weakened. Archelaus stopped spending time with the other Paladins and opted to spend time with his daughter. She was witty and knew more about the Castle of Bears than he did. </p><p> </p><p>He was sitting in the hologram hall with his wife, watching Angelica and Calloway, their royal servant, chase butterflies around the room. It was beautiful here, it was always beautiful here.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You have grey hairs”</p><p> </p><p>“My hair has always been grey dear”</p><p> </p><p>She flicked his nose and sadly smiled at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re stressed, I can see it in how big your eye bags have gotten, you need to sleep more, I know that the Aniceous have been attacking you more frequently, that doesn’t mean you stop sleeping”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, I think of you and Angelica every time they attack”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He watched Angelica cross her eyes as a butterfly landed on her nose, her giggle could bring joy to the grieving.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m scared that you’ll be next, I need to stop them before that happens”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve taken care of them every other time they’re attacked, why would them attacking our castle make a difference”</p><p> </p><p>He hated bringing up work things up with his wife. She said she understood them, but really didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>“We haven’t been working very well together, Zelkovas has been a bit of an asshole”</p><p> </p><p>The smacked him in the arm for cursing, he laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s been very hard to get to listen lately, he thinks he’s right about everything, only time before it all goes south, y’know, I just want everyone to be safe, especially you and Angelica”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll know what to do when it does honey”</p><p> </p><p>He thought about her statement for a second, he laughed at the thought that popped into his head afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been thinking of installing something in the castle, or giving everyone something in case he flips out one day, isn’t that crazy, this is Zelkovas we’re talking about for god's sake, I know him better than I know myself, but he’s”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus shook his head, he looked for the right word.</p><p> </p><p>“Changed, the change scares me, like putting a button in each one of the Bears so that in case a paladin is in distress everyone else knows, it could be simple and anything could be wrong, maybe it will put me at ease I guess”</p><p> </p><p>Marcella hummed and shrugged, she watched as their daughter tumbled down a hill, her hair would probably tint green, she hoped her horns would be fine.</p><p> </p><p>“If it will quit you from worrying, than that sounds good, my king”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He brought it up with Rehan one day and watched as he built them. His foot tapped as he watched sparks fly from Rehan’s workbench.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I hope these work, you just press the button, it should sound an alarm in the other bears from the button that’s installed in there, I can ever make it to where it alerts the castle if you’d like that”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I would”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rehan installed something in the castle, Marcella asked no questions, Angelica did though.</p><p> </p><p>“Whatcha doing”</p><p> </p><p>“Installing alarms”</p><p> </p><p>She tapped on the ladder that Rehan was standing on, it shook, Rehan’s eyes widened, he smiled at her and told her to quit, she did.</p><p> </p><p>“Why”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus picked her up and put her on his shoulders, she giggled.</p><p> </p><p>“So we can keep you and everyone else in the castle safe”</p><p> </p><p>“I think we have the safest castle in the world daddy, nothing will even try to harm us here, I swear by it”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus laughed, Rehan forced himself to laugh also.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you think that princess, I hope to think that one day too”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Why dontcha daddy”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus sighed. He hated lying to her, he didn’t think you should lie to anyone, his father had said it wasn’t a heroic thing to do, he quit living by that a long time ago. Things were different with Angelica.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“They’re are just some mean ole people in the world princess, sometimes you don’t even see it coming”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The thing is, Archelaus did see it coming. He knew it was bound to happen, he just hoped it wouldn’t. At this point Zyair was just on auto pilot, everyone knew they had lost the Zyair that they had once known. Lyle, who had gotten really close to Zyair over the span of their time in space was constantly worried, Archelaus pretended he wasn’t. Rehan always talked to Zyair like he was responding, he never actually did, Zelkovas was the same as always.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Their mission was on a planet called Ploera. It was blue in color and had very beautiful plants, Archelaus planned to take some home to his wife. They went there on a distress call. All of them flew in different parts of the planet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The east side is clear Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p>Lyle’s smooth voice rang through their headsets.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Good work Lyle, head back to the place we entered at, wait for the rest of us to finish our checks, once everyone is done join Lyle”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It’s dangerous to leave Lyle alone that far away from everyone else, find me on the west side Lyle, we’ll scoop the rest of it together”</p><p> </p><p>Lyle hummed at Archelaus’s orders.</p><p> </p><p>“Or do that, Zyair, Rehan, join me in the west side after your search, make sure you say something if you run into trouble”</p><p> </p><p>Multiple “copies” rang through Archelaus’s head seat. His fingers drummed against the controls of his bear.</p><p> </p><p>‘Quit worrying Archelaus, the black paladin knows what he is doing, you know him better than you think you do’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The voice of his Bear was calming, he almost never talked to Archelaus, now seemed like a strange time, when everything was calm and quiet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That’s something you would say Red.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His Bear didn’t respond. Archelaus didn’t expect him to.</p><p> </p><p>Lyle followed him as they scooped out the area around them. Light shone through their bears mouths, making it easier for them to see in the dark. Not knowing the origin of the distress call for this long made Archelaus nervous, it had never taken them this long before.</p><p> </p><p>‘We will find it, we always do, do we not.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They always did. </p><p> </p><p>A piercing noise ran through Red, he looked around to find the source and realized it was one of the alarms that had been placed in the Bears.</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s in danger”</p><p> </p><p>The scratchiness started again as someone tried to speak. Zyair grunted, it sounded pained. </p><p> </p><p>“Help, west side, it’s the most Aniceous I’ve ever seen in one place before, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them back”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A yell rang through before Archelaus heard nothing. He pulled back in his steering sticks and turned towards the west side, he raced there as fast as he could. </p><p> </p><p>Zyair’s words were true. Hundreds of thousands of Anician ships surrounded him. They weren’t firing, not yet anyway. They circled him and all of their blasters pointed towards him.</p><p> </p><p>Someone was speaking to him. Archelaus watched as his mouth moved. He couldn’t read his lips. He could only see him laugh, he wasn’t close enough to see the tears run down his cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>The Black Bear easily parted the sea of Aniceous. They moved for him like a command, moved with ease. A strange feeling settled in Archelaus’s stomach. </p><p> </p><p>He watched as the Black Bear's head cocked, a shriek sounded behind him, just as Archelaus turned to the direction of the shriek he watched as the Black Bear slammed head first into the cockpit of the Blue Bear. Archelaus put his bear in gear towards the shriek. He couldn’t comprehend what he saw. </p><p> </p><p>He spent a few minutes helping the people of the planet, they had hide well, the Ancieous found them anyway. He fought numbly, without thinking.</p><p> </p><p>‘The Blue paladin is injured, Archelaus.’</p><p> </p><p>“I’m aware Red”</p><p> </p><p>‘You need to go back for him after, he could still be alive.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go in a bit okay, I’ll go back to get him”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tears fell from Archelaus’s eyes as he fought soldiers, the scene played over and over in his head. It made him angry after a while, he gripped the handles of the Red Bear harder than he ever had during his time as a Paladin. Tears made it hard to navigate. Red was mostly in autopilot, he was fine with that. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was a story told in his family. It was passed down from his Great Great Great Great Grandpa, the genius who created Nanoarrow. It was the tale of Nanoarrow, how Nanoarrow was created to protect all those who walked the universe, protect them from the evils that roamed. To help there be peace once again. Zelkovas was told the same stories, they sat on the same rug with the same look in their eyes. Hoping they would be chosen by the Bears to be their paladin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Nanoarrow will be what saves the world children, and you better tell them your great great great great granddad made it, do you hear me Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>He laughed at it now, he just watched Zyair die, he just let it happen. He wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be. Archelaus put his Bear in gear full speed towards Zyair. He hoped to the ground before Red even landed, and ran to the Blue Bear. He pressed his hands to the bears nose, praying it would open. After what felt like a deca-phoeb, the Bear opened for him. He ran to the cockpit faster than he had ever ran in his life.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zyair laid lifeless in his chair. His head tossed back, his eyes closed, and his mouth parted.</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair”</p><p> </p><p>Yelling was going through the Blue Bears headset. He couldn’t hear what anyone was saying.</p><p> </p><p>“Zyair”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus practically yelled his name. He rushed over to his chair and took off his helmet. His head flopped forward, Archelaus grabbed Zyair’s small face in his hands and shook him.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on you idiot, we need you right now, shit’s not looking too good out there”</p><p> </p><p>He peaked out to see Lyle protecting his Bear, the glass of the cockpit had a huge hole in it, glass was scattered around his feet and on Zyair’s lifeless body. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Buddy come one, fuck, please wake up, please”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus shook his body, he flopped like a fish out of water and sagged when Archelaus let him go. His usually wine red color had turned almost pink, all the color gone from his skin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He stepped away from Zyair’s dead body. His hands shook and his brain had too many thoughts. Rehan peaked his Bears head into the cockpit, his face concerned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Archelaus come one man, we need to form Nanoarrow, it’s getting kind of bad”</p><p> </p><p>“C-can’t”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan’s eyes scanned the cockpit of the Blue Bear, his eyes flicking over Zyair.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s- he’s not, Zyair he’s not, he’s not”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tears fell from Rehan’s eyes as Archelaus nodded. </p><p> </p><p>“H-he’s dead Rehan”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan shook. A sob fell out of his lips. He made incoherent sounds with his mouth before he could form a real sentence.</p><p> </p><p>“D-down, Zyair’s, down, h-he’s, fuck”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They were able to fight off the rest of the Anicious. Making sure they didn’t get a hold of the Blue Bear. Archelaus watched as Zelkovas fought the Anicious off with ease. He was doubting that Zelkovas had ever fought off the Aniceious at all. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When the Aniceious were all gone, it left them with five bears, three paladins, and a traitor. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Who are you”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus whispered it to Zelkovas as he carried Zyair’s body to Red. He held him close to his chest. He was cold, tears ran down Archelaus’s face.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m the Zelkovas you have always known Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“How the fuck are we supposed to form Nanoarrow now, we have four Paladins, you killed Zyair, we’ve know him since we were kids, why would you kill him”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The other Paladins had gotten in their bears, Zelkovas motioned for them to go on ahead of them. They started flying towards the castle.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“That’s the point Archelaus, I had planned for that to be you”</p><p> </p><p>He motioned at Zyair’s body in Archelaus’s arms. Archelaus clutched him to his chest. Tears began to fall again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Fuck you, don’t you remember sitting with my grandpa as he told stories about saving the world, you wanted to do that, you wanted to be the savior, what the fuck happened”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He yelled it, louder than he had ever yelled anything, Archelaus was pissed. His heart felt heavy.</p><p> </p><p>“I realized I had so much more opportunity in other places, and that place isn’t being the Black Bears Paladin”</p><p> </p><p>“Now what”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas laughed, like Archelaus should have already known the answer to his question.</p><p> </p><p>“I destroy the Black Bear, so there’s absolutely no way you can form Nanoarrow, then take over every galaxy I can reach, it’s very obtainable without Nanoarrow in the way, I plan to do it, you could replace one paladin easy, the Blue Bear is easy to please”</p><p> </p><p>He grabbed onto Zyair’s face and shook it around. Archelaus pulled Zyair away from him. His heart raced a million miles an hour.</p><p> </p><p>“But two, replacing the Black Bears Paladin in a short time, not as easy, I plan to go back home, you stay quiet, I take over soon and rule every world out there, it’s almost silly to dream so big”</p><p> </p><p>“Why the fuck would I let you do that”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas laughed. His eyes met Archelaus’s.</p><p> </p><p>“If you want your little girl to stay alive, you’ll do anything I say Archy, I may even spare you in the end of it all”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He let go of Zyair’s face and headed back to his Bear. He turned before he opened the mouth. </p><p> </p><p>“Did you not expect it Archelaus, I know you did, you put the buttons there for a reason, did you not”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas walked into the mouth of the Black Bear, it closed and he took off. The wind of the take off moved Archelaus’s hair, it hit him across the face, the air stilled as his Bear flew from the planet. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus turned to look at the Blue Bear. He didn’t want to leave her there. It was too risky to leave her. He ended up calling Rehan and Lyle back, they took the Yellow Bear, Rehan flew Blue back to the castle. That was the last time Blue let anyone in. </p><p> </p><p>They held a funeral for Zyair on Eerodoth. Everyone wore black, Archelaus talked at his funeral, he really hoped he got Zyair’s spirit good enough.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t save your son, ma’am”</p><p> </p><p>He said it after the service, they were the only two at his casket. She held onto the Eerothian flag, it was clenched tightly in her hands. Archelaus didn’t want to look into the casket. The people that were going to move his body to the hearse waited for her to quit leaning over his body.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“He loved being a paladin, I’ve never seen him so happy Archelaus, all he ever wanted to was be a hero, and a hero he was, my baby was a hero”</p><p> </p><p>“He was a hero”</p><p> </p><p>Zyair was buried next to his father in the only graveyard that Eerodoth had. People from all over put flowers on his grave. It looked beautiful then, it hurt to think that it might not always look like that.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus couldn’t stay in the same room as Zelkovas. It was hard to work with him. They also didn’t have a replacement paladin for the Blue Bear, at the moment Nanoarrow was useless.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus laid in the hologram hall, not watching his daughter. His wife ran her hands through his hair.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What is your plan”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t know, Angelica nor you are qualified to fly a Bear, the universe needs Nanoarrow, honestly Marcella, I’m thinking of killing Zelkovas”</p><p> </p><p>His wife sucked in a breath. Her hands held his face so that he was looking at her.</p><p> </p><p>“If you kill him, you are just as evil, that’s what he wants Archelaus, do not do that”</p><p> </p><p>“You promise me if everything goes downhill you’ll put Angelica and Calloway in the Cryopods, like we talked about, find a way to get Zelkovas out, then send it somewhere he’ll never find them, do you promise”</p><p> </p><p>Marcella swallowed, her thumbs stroked his cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“How will I know he won’t find them, how will I know they’re safe”</p><p> </p><p>“I trust you to know”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled at his daughter out in the field, horns were visible over the tall grass.</p><p> </p><p>“You think you’re going to die, don’t you”</p><p> </p><p>Archelaus shook his head. It was a lie. Just something to stop his wife from worrying. He held her hand in his left hand, he pulled grass out of the ground with his other.</p><p> </p><p>No words were exchanged afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>———————————</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“End session, do you think I’m fucking stupid, the space rats tell me everything they hear”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas had cornered him in the battle simulator. He was about to knock out a bot as the simulator turned off. Archelaus kept his bayard activated, he didn’t turn to look at Zelkovas.</p><p> </p><p>“They lie a lot, I don’t know if I’d believe everything they say, though I do believe I know what they’ve told you”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s true then, you plan to kill me Archelaus”</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas busted out laughing. He clutched his stomach from laughing so hard.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t even replace one paladin and you plan to replace two if you kill me”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archelaus reached into his pocket and pressed the emergency button to alert his wife to send away Calloway and Angelica. The ship rumbled as the lower training deck departed from the rest of the ship. His daughter, Calloway, and the Bears should be the only things on it.</p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas took out his bayard and activated it. Rehan and Lyle ran to the training deck, confusion on their faces. Marcella walked towards the other side.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck is going on, why did half of the ship go into a worm hole, care to explain”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan looked pissed, Archelaus had never seen him like that.</p><p> </p><p>“Zelkovas killed Zyair, I never told you that, I intend to kill him before he kills millions of others”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t lie to me, I’m not in the fucking mood”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“He’s not lying Rehan”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zelkovas put his hands in his pants pockets. Cold eyes fixated on Rehan. Rehan drew his bayard, the falchion looked freshly sharpened.</p><p> </p><p>“Why the fuck would you do that, why would you even think about killing Zyair”</p><p> </p><p>“He was the glue of our team, he might not have ever had it together, but he held you together, the only thing he was ever good at”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan murmured a, not true, through tears. Zelkovas ignored him.</p><p> </p><p>“Without him I could use the fact that you’re all grieving to my advantage, now I’ll have all five bears, and be able to take over the galaxy, I told the same thing to Archelaus the day our dear Zyair died, I guess he didn’t bother to tell anyone else”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan ignored him, air flared through his nose, you could see his nostrils move. Archelaus laughed lightly knowing he didn’t have the Bears, he would kill to see Zelkovas’s reaction when he found out he didn’t have them. Archelaus didn’t even know where they were at this point. 


It brought him joy in such a dreary moment. </p><p> </p><p>“Fuck you, you fucking asshole, do you know how many nights I’ve fucking cried over his death, I haven’t fucking quit thinking about it”</p><p> </p><p>Rehan was looking at the ground, tears hit the floor in front of his feet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“And I could have prevented it by getting rid of you, I should have fucking done that years ago”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rehan charged Zelkovas with a shout. Lyle had also pulled out his bayard, and had charged Zelkovas. Archelaus’s bayard glowed in his hand he glared at Zelkovas, his face had a sick grin on it, one that seemed engraved now. </p><p> </p><p>Energy ran through Archelaus’s arm, he charged Zelkovas. He thought of Angelica and Marcella. He prayed to make it out alive, he prayed for their safety.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He prayed to destroy Zelkovas before he destroyed the entire universe.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A New Era of Nanoarrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Have I finished my Voltron rewatch yet, nope, no where close. I’m on episode three... anyway, here’s a new chapter because the first episode is long as hell and I can put a lot into my chapters just from that episode. I hope you like this chapter, I really liked writing it. Enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Will you please be quiet Hugo, do you want to get in trouble”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry that I don’t want to get expelled like you seem to, we shouldn’t even been out here right now, we should be in bed, there is a reason that I’m here Laurence, I don’t want to get kicked out before I can even fight in the war, it matters to me”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence shushed him. The guards at Silver Creek, School for Fighter Pilots were easy to fool, especially the night guards. They had gotten robot guards after someone, Laurence would rather not mention, snuck into the aircraft docking port. Laurence didn’t know if that person had stolen anything. He had gotten expelled though.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We’re gonna get caught if you don’t quit talking, we’re only going to see the crash sight, then we’re gonna go back, and you can have your sweet little nap, okay”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence moved his brown hair out of his eyes and scanned the area. The ship had crashed at ten this morning. It shook the whole school and everyone was told to stay in their dorms. Why were they in a fighter pilot school if they couldn’t even fight bad guys?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You have crashed every single one of the simulators Laurence, I wouldn’t trust you behind the wheel of a real fighter jet”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence ignored Hugo. He was right. That wasn’t stopping him from becoming the best fighter pilot there ever was though. He had dreams and goals to accomplish them. He had to figure out how to not crash the simulator first. Hugo and Page, the other pilot in his group, had failed pretty much every simulator. The two times that Page had driven the simulator they actually passed, barely.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t matter, right now we are going to get Page, then we’re going to the crash sight”</p><p> </p><p>They walked the halls as fast as they could. Page’s room was a lot farther than Hugo’s from his room. All the way across the living quarters, close to the classrooms, closer to the exit.</p><p> </p><p>They hid in trash cans as another guard passed by them. Laurence jumped out and ran to Page’s room. He could hear Hugo behind him. Page was already a step ahead of them.</p><p> </p><p>“They must already be headed there, come on Hugo”</p><p> </p><p>“I feel like we’re being loud Laurence, we need to be careful”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence followed Page to the roof, he opened the doors. The wind was strong, it nipped at the skin on Laurence’s face. A small blob of green could be seen sitting by the edge of the roof, the light from their computer lit up their face.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you up to”</p><p> </p><p>Page jumped out of their skin. They turned around and huffed when they realized who it was. They pushed their glasses up their nose with their middle finger.</p><p> </p><p>“I was setting up my computers to look at the signals I’ve been getting”</p><p> </p><p>“Signals”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence’s eyebrows shot up, he watched Hugo sit down by Page.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been coming up here because I tried to make it to were my computer could read sound waves so I could try to guess what the government has been blowing up in the canyons, I accidentally found out how to read radio waves from space”</p><p> </p><p>“What do they say”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo tried to touch the buttons of Page’s computer, Page slapped away his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Not a lot, that I can understand anyway, but it frequently says one thing, over and over, I see it at least once a night”</p><p> </p><p>They dug into their jacket pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper, the word Nanoarrow in bold stood out.</p><p> </p><p>“Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence scratched his head.</p><p> </p><p>“What does it mean”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know”</p><p> </p><p>Page shoved the paper back into their pocket. Their eyes fixated back onto the computer screen. Laurence looked at the screen, confusion was written on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t understand anything your reader is saying Page, it looks kind of stupid to me”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I just said it was mostly nonsense, I don’t really know what it’s saying eith-“</p><p> </p><p>Page’s computer began to beep loudly. Hugo and Laurence looked at them.</p><p> </p><p>“What does that mean”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t know”</p><p> </p><p>A set of explosions blew up close to the ship that had crashed. A voice came over the schools intercoms.</p><p> </p><p>“Students, stay in your dorms, this is not a drill, you will be told when everything is clear, repeat stay in your dorms”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck do we do, we have to go back”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence squinted his eyes to look down by the ship. A small hovercraft was flying by the ship. Laurence already knew who was on the hovercraft.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you shitting me, come on”</p><p> </p><p>Page picked up their notebook and looked at Laurence.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are we going”</p><p> </p><p>“To the ship, duh, where else”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence began to make his way down the school. He didn’t bother to use the stairs, it would take too long. Hugo yelled after him.</p><p> </p><p>“Why are we going there, this is stupid”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, you always said that was my purpose in our friend group, to do stupid shit, so that’s what I’m doing, and you always seem to follow me too, you don’t have to come along Hugo”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page slid down the rocks to get to the ground in front of the school. Laurence was already halfway to the ship. Hugo groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you kidding me, we can not be going there right now”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo eventually met up with Page and Laurence. The three of them were crouched behind a rock, watching as people in hazmat suits walked into the space craft. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you think is in there”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t know, it looks like Silver Creek tech, so probably something that we know, probably something boring honestly”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence squinted his eyes, he tried to find the hovercraft that had flown towards the ship. He saw it close to the ship. A second set of explosions went off, the scientists rushed to go see the source of the explosions.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, what”</p><p> </p><p>Lance took off into the ship, no scientist stopped him, they were all busy. The ship wasn’t very big on the inside. A boy with a black mullet was inside, another man with a spot of white of hair was strapped to a chair.</p><p> </p><p>“Kane</p><p> </p><p>The boy's head turned. His purple eyes glared at him. He was about to unstrap the guy on the table.</p><p> </p><p>“Who the fuck are you”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence waved his hands in the air, he said different ways of saying no over and over. He put one of the arms of the guy who was on the table over his head and helped him up.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you kidding, I’m Laurence, you know, we used to be in the same pilot class at Silver Creek, you always called me an idiot, I sat in front of you, we were rivals”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you’re the guy that always crashed the flight simulator”</p><p> </p><p>They started to help the guy who was on the table out of the hut, Page and Hugo were waiting for him.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t always crash the simulator, it was just most of the time”</p><p> </p><p>Kane rolled his eyes. He grabbed onto the guy's face and shook it. </p><p> </p><p>“Sean buddy, come on”</p><p> </p><p>The guy, or Sean, groaned. Kane began to drag him outside. Laurence grunted under the weight of Sean leaning on him.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck did they do to you”</p><p> </p><p>Sean didn’t respond. Page’s eyes widened as they saw him. Laurence helped Kane put him on the bike. He got on and revved the engine.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for the help”</p><p> </p><p>Lights shined in their direction. A voice yelled, “don’t let them get away”. Laurence could feel his stomach drop. </p><p> </p><p>“You aren’t leaving us”</p><p> </p><p>“I am”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence grabbed onto the bike as Kane shot off. Page and Hugo tried to keep up, Laurence watched as they ran behind the bike. Kace stopped abruptly and Laurence was knocked to the ground. </p><p> </p><p>“Oof”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine”</p><p> </p><p>Kane glared at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Get on, your friends can too”</p><p> </p><p>Kane, Sean, Laurence, Page, and Hugo somehow all fit on the bike. Cars were trailing behind them. They started to catch up to them.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, car on your right”</p><p> </p><p>Kane smashed the car and sped up faster. Laurence could feel the wind move his hair around. He yelled into the night, a laugh bubbled out of his throat.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up, we still have to lose the rest of them, everyone tilt left”</p><p> </p><p>They did as Kane said, two cars ran into each other. Laurence’s mother had always told him to one, not trust strangers and two, not get into the wrong crowd. He was pretty sure that he was getting into the wrong crowd. At the moment he didn’t really care. A group of cars raced towards them. A few of them went along the curves of the rocks above them.</p><p> </p><p>Page picked up a weird can that was in the hovercraft, they weighed it in their hands then threw it at one of the cars, it hit the car square in the middle of the windshield, the car swerved and ran into a rock, the car soon caught flame afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice shot, Page”</p><p> </p><p>“I fucking needed that”</p><p> </p><p>Kane yelled it, the wind almost drowned it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Oops, sorry”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Three more cars that looked like the one that they had destroyed sped up close to them. Kane turned his head to look at the cannon, he looked into his rearview mirror and chuckled. Kane turned sharp, the bike followed the curve of the cannon wall, Kane dodged a rock that stuck out of the ground, the car that was behind it hit it square.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the actually fuck are you doing”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane turned his head to Laurence and quickly turned it back.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck does it look like I’m doing”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane swerved around another rock at the last minute, one of the cars that had been trailing behind them hadn’t got so lucky and slammed driver side first into the tall rock, Laurence, Page, and Hugo all yelled at the sight of it.</p><p> </p><p>“Dude, do you think Professor Undergrove is gonna be okay”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo gripped onto the side of the hovercraft as Kane swerved to miss something in his way. Page stumbled and hit Hugo on the shoulder. They itched the stubble on their chin and scoffed at Kane, they mumbled, what the fuck is wrong with, you dick, Kane didn’t seem to hear it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Honestly”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence hung onto the seat of the hovercraft, where Sean’s unconscious body was laying, his knuckles had turned white from clutching it so hard.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I kind of hope he’s not okay, because we have that test this week, and I don’t even know what it’s about”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane scoffed again, another car skimmed a rock, it was enough that the car had to stop, enough to keep Kane going. A guy with a speaker phone, Commander Irving, stood up in one of the cars.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Stop and release our guest or we will shoot, repeat, stop or we will shoot”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane cussed under his breath, they were coming close to a cliff, Kane glanced at the mirror to the cars, then back to the cliff. Hugo grabbed the headrest of Kane’s seat.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Dude what the fuck are you doing, that’s a cliff”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m aware, you guys might want to duck, just in case”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence stared wide eyed at Kane, he looked over at Sean in the passenger's seat, he was still passed out, his breathing was shallow. Laurence ducked like Kane said.</p><p> </p><p>“Hold on”</p><p> </p><p>Screams filled the air as Laurence felt his stomach drop, the fucker jumped the cliff. Laurence peaked out over the back and saw the vehicles get farther and farther as they got closer to the other side.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck”</p><p> </p><p>The craft hit the ground hard, everyone grunted as they were jostled around. Laurence popped up from the back and turned to Kane, he had a small smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“What is wrong with you, what if we wouldn’t have made that jump”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane looked back at him and shook his head. He took one of his hands off of the steering wheel and hung it out the open window, he looked over at Sean briefly, then answered Laurence’s question.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I knew we were gonna make that jump, I’ve been practicing, just in case Sean ever came back, and here he is”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“He was the guy who went on the Styx trip, right, I’m not mistaken”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane hummed at Page’s answer, Page sighed and looked over at the guy in the passengers seat.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Where’s everyone else”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, somewhere, still in space probably, why”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page shook their head and slumped against Hugo, Hugo rubbed Page’s shoulder Page smiled sadly at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I know the other pilots, my brother and my dad, I was hoping I would find them”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry I don’t know where they are, you should ask Sean when he wakes up, I’m sure he could tell you something, I have things to ask him too”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo patted Page on the back, Page shook off his hand.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So you live in the middle of the fucking desert, why”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence was standing up and looking around, it was still dark so he couldn’t see much. He held a hand over his eyes trying to find something.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I was raised out here, plus, it was conveniently close to Silver Creek, that didn’t matter in the end though, I guess”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence hummed at his sentence. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You were gonna be a fighter pilot”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I wanted to be, things don’t always turn out the way you want them to, I’m not sure what I’m gonna do, I’ve been trying to figure out a mystery”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo turned to look ahead, his eyebrows were scrunched up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“A mystery, who are you, part of the Mystery Gang, what kind of mystery”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The what, I’ve been looking at wavelengths, they make a picture, It takes me to a cave with Bear carvings, I don’t know”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane parked his bike by an old looking house. Shingles were falling off, wood boards were rotting, it looked like shit. They dragged Sean inside and sat him down on the hardwood floors. Everyone looked around Kane’s small shack as he pointed to the wavelengths thing he was talking about.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“See, it looks like the opening to something, it’s a cave, I don’t know what it is really, it has bear carving, I’m sure they mean something, don’t know what they mean though, it’s pretty cool honestly, I’m sure I’m not supposed to be messing around in there”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’ll have to take us to see them”</p><p> </p><p>Page was messing with something they found in Kane’s house. They turned around and looked at him, a knife was in Page’s hand.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Set that down, I planned to, now that you’re in my house”</p><p> </p><p>“We have school in the morning”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence sat down in one of Kane’s rickety wooden chairs, he propped his legs up on the table, Kane scowled at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Do you really think we would have gone anyway, we would have gotten a free day with all the explosions that he set off, we’ll be fine Hugo, we can have fun for one day, then sneak back in when we’re done”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page stepped over Sean’s body and sat down across from Laurence, they placed their elbows on the table and pointed at Laurence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Just this once, I would really like to see them Hugo”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo sighed and ran a hand down his face, he plopped himself down on the shitty little futon that Kane had.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Then it’s settled”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence threw his hands up and looked at everyone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Once sleepy pants wakes up, you can take us to the cave, in the meantime, do you have anything to eat, mullet”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“No, I starve everyday, and don’t call me mullet”



“You knew who I was talking to”</p><p> </p><p>Page and Hugo talked about the meteor shower that was supposed to happen soon, Laurence listened to their conversation, but didn’t put any input in. Kane drank coffee on the futon by himself. </p><p> </p><p>Soon Sean began to stir. Kane nudged him with his boot a few times. He soon sat up and looked around. Sean’s eyes met with the three strangers, he looked up at Kane.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Who are they”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hugo, Hugo Graham, it’s nice to meet you”</p><p> </p><p>“Laurence”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence nodded at Sean and looked over at Page.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m Page Hughes, you know my dad and brother”</p><p> </p><p>Sean’s eyes widened as he nodded at them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah I do, Micheal and I are really close, I hope they’re okay”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So you don’t know where they are”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page’s shoulders sagged.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m afraid not, where am I”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’re in Arizona, we’re close to Silver Creek, where have you been”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean messed with his arm, it was a prosthetic, and a really impressive one at that. It was nothing like Laurence had ever seen. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Space, I was imprisoned on a ship by a group of aliens, the Anicious, I guess, I was able to escape, that’s why my arm is like this”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“That’s why you were gone for so long, everyone thought you guys were dead”</p><p> </p><p>Sean rubbed his temple.</p><p> </p><p>“We were kept in cells, a guy named Zelkovas, or something like that, kept us on some planet because we were human, he always talked about Nanolazer or something”</p><p> </p><p>“Nanoarrow, what about it”</p><p> </p><p>Page sat up and adjusted their glasses. They pulled a notepad out of a small messenger bag they always kept on their person.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, that they wanted to get rid of it, and find the keys of Nanoarrow, that’s about it, I don’t know what else”</p><p> </p><p>Page mumbled about what the keys of Nanoarrow could mean, they wrote frantically in their notebook. Laurence ignored them.</p><p> </p><p>“So you were held captive, I’m sorry that happened”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you don’t have to apologize, I’m here now, I’m alright”</p><p> </p><p>Sean ran his fingers over his arm.</p><p> </p><p>“I mostly came back in one peice, not everyone is as lucky as I am”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo shifted in his chair, his eyebrows drew together.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re pretty ruthless, they’ve killed a lot of things, destroyed worlds, that’s all I heard about when I would just sit and wait for whatever was next when I was on that ship, it’s devastating”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence chewed on his finger nails, he pulled his hands away from his face and put them in his lap.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry that happened to you, aliens are real though”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t believe in them before, there’s millions of different species, I met quite a few, fought quite a few, what’s around here”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence moved to look at Sean.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Not much”</p><p> </p><p>He placed his hands behind his head.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Just cacti, rocks, and Silver Creek, that’s really it, it’s boring around here, definitely not a party town”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What’s Silver Creek”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The school for fighter pilots, it’s the only one around here”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean paused, he looked between them, his face was really serious, his breathing was slow.</p><p> </p><p>“What, they can’t sends kids up there, it’s fucking dangerous, they don’t know what’s up there”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“They already have, last year's seniors were the first to be sent out there, it was a really big deal, there was this huge party and it was one hell of a party, it’s like the only one that happened last school year, I’m pretty sure everyone was fucked up after that night”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean looked at the ground, Kane placed his hand on Sean’s shoulder.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t get it, those kids are dead, they aren’t prepared to fight what’s up there, the technology is more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen, they don’t care who or what you are, they’re gonna kill you”</p><p> </p><p>“Then how’d you get out”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at Sean.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Like I said, luck, I shouldn’t be alive, you don’t understand what’s up there, I need to tell your superintendent, take me there”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We aren’t supposed to be out here, we’ll get in a lot of trouble, plus we kind of stole you from your ship or whatever, so, we’re probably gonna get in trouble for that too, plus, you don’t want to talk to Irving”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean looked around at them, he checked the watch on his wrist, Kane stood up and headed towards the door, he laced up his boots and turned around, hands on his hips,</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Now that Sean is awake we can head to the spot, right, everyone okay with that”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you talking about”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone began to pack up their things and head outside with Kane, they hopped onto the bike and looked back at Sean.</p><p> </p><p>“We talked about them before you woke up, I’ll explain it on the way there Sean”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo held onto the map, Laurence and Hugo had fought over it, Kane assigned it to Hugo.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you would give it to him, you hate me”</p><p> </p><p>“No you hate me, I’ve known you for less than an hour”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence rolled his eyes and sat in the back of the hovercraft as Hugo gave Kane directions. Laurence mumbled the entire time about wanting the map.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Shut the fuck up Laurence”</p><p> </p><p>Page had been forced to sit in the back with Laurence and had quickly gotten tired of Laurence’s complaining, they slapped their hand over Laurence’s mouth to stop him from talking. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the way there was relatively quiet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“This is where your little map leads, what the fuck is this”</p><p> </p><p>They stood in front of what looked like just a bunch of rocks. Kane walked ahead of them and pushed a rock out of the way of an opening to a cave. He jestered to the opening and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Wouldn’t want the government finding my cave, now would I, they’d take responsibility for ancient carvings that they didn’t find, and who the fuck wants that, not me”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane led the way into the cave. Everyone examined the markings. They had bears doing various things, some shot lasers from their mouths while others showed the same bears biting things in half. Hugo stood in front of an engraving of a giant robot. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence reached out to touch the engravings and they began to glow a bright blue color, he pulled his hand back and gasped. Kane turned around to look at him.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you do, they’ve never down this before”</p><p> </p><p>“I- I just touched them, I swear I don’t know what-“</p><p> </p><p>He was cut off as they all suddenly fell through an opening in the floor. Their screams echoed off of the walls of the hole.</p><p> </p><p>Laurence eventually hit the ground hard with an oof, he laid on the floor and groaned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A few seconds after, Page landed on him with a grunt, Page falling caused a chain reaction of everyone else falling onto Laurence. He tried to wiggle out from under the pile, but failed. He soon gave up and laid on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, look at that”</p><p> </p><p>They all looked to where Page was pointing. A big, blue mechanical bear, with yellow eyes was in a large cave. They all stared in awe, Hugo climbed off of the pile and started walking towards the bear. </p><p> </p><p>“Damn, this is the most impressive tech I have ever seen, it’s huge, and it’s built flawlessly, a few nicks here and there, but still, it’s amazing”</p><p> </p><p>“A giant bear is the key, what does this have to do with Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone headed to the bear, when he got up, Laurence kept moving side to side and up and down, he squinted at the bear.</p><p> </p><p>“Laurence what are you doing”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It’s eyes are following me, like I can’t get away from them”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo looked Laurence up and down. Page and Sean were touching the shield that surrounded the bear, after touching it the shield made a rippling effect that eventually went away.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean”</p><p> </p><p>“Like they’re following me, everywhere I go it’s eyes follow me”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane rolled his eyes and shoved Laurence aside. He walked faster than Laurence, before he was out of earshot he called Laurence a fucking idiot.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, only my siblings are allowed to call me that to my face, alright, you don’t get that privilege compañero, I’m not kidding”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean and Page had stepped back and were examining the bear. The cave around it glowed fainting, the shield glowed even brighter. Kane’s hands were pressed against the shield, Hugo had walked around.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you find a way in Hugo”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>From the back of the room you could hear Hugo shout, no, it echoed off of the walls of the cave.</p><p> </p><p>“This is the Nanoarrow the guy you were talking about wants to find Sean, it’s really incredible tech, I’ve never seen something made like this, looks like it could take quite a beating, it’s impressive”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence walked up to the shield and moved around. The eyes were definitely following him, there was no way they weren’t. He pressed his two hands to the shield, it flickered away, Laurence held his hands up and looked at the bear.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Quit touching shit, you keep breaking them”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence walked up to the bear and touched it’s paw. It bowed its head and opened its jaw. A small ramp lead into the bear.</p><p> </p><p>“How’d you do that”</p><p> </p><p>Sean touched Laurence's shoulder and looked at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I just touched it, both the cave and the shield, it wasn’t that hard”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence walked into the mouth and up the ramp, he could hear the footsteps of everyone else following him. They eventually made it to a cockpit, you could see the entrance of the cave from the eyes of the bear, a control panel and a pair of steering sticks sat behind a chair. Laurence sat down in the chair.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, no, no, no, no, you are not flying this thing, this isn’t ours, I don’t want you to wreck it”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up Hugo, everything will be fine, I’m not that bad at flying, I’ve taken enou-“</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zyair, is that you.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The voice of a woman rang through his ears. She sounded sweet, it was music to Laurence’s ears, she sounded nice, and welcoming.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you guys here that”</p><p> </p><p>“Hear what”</p><p> </p><p>Kane, who had been looking around the cockpit, stopped snooping around and looked at him, his face in what seemed like a permanent scowl.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The woman’s voice, she asked me if I was Yair, or something close to that, I don’t know who that is, does anyone else”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Everyone shook their heads and looked around the small area.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>If you are not my Zyair, then who are you, and what are you doing in my cockpit?</p><p> </p><p>“My name is Laurence, I come in peace, we are searching for Nanoarrow, are you Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p>The voice took a while to respond. Eventually her voice filled Laurence's senses again, it was like her voice wrapped around his brain. It was a strange feeling.</p><p> </p><p>Kind of, I am a piece of Nanoarrow, you need the other bears to form it, where is my paladin.</p><p> </p><p>“Honey I’m sorry, I don’t know who Zyair is, I’ve never heard of a Zyair”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He’s well known as the paladin of the Blue Bear of Nanoarrow, how have you not heard of him?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence looked around at everyone else, they all shrugged. He sighed and responded to the bear.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never heard of Nanoarrow either, I’m sorry, can we help you in anyway, is there someone else you-“</p><p> </p><p>What year is it</p><p> </p><p>“Thirty twenty, why”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The voice didn’t respond, she was silent, Laurence could hear her breathing. Page touched his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“What did she say”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Nothing, she didn’t respond, can I help you in anyway”</p><p> </p><p>The bear began to creak as it stood, everyone held on tight to anything they could grab as the bear began to run through the night.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Laurence what did you say to it”</p><p> </p><p>“I told her what you guys heard, I haven’t said anything beyond that, I swear, I don’t know what’s happening”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It took off into the sky, soon they were flying through space.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Wow, we’re passing asteroids belt, that’s pretty impressive”</p><p> </p><p>Pages face was pressed to the glass and was looking out the window, a twinkle was in their eyes.</p><p> </p><p>They watched as a black hole opened up in front of them, Laurence felt Hugo grip onto the seat.</p><p> </p><p>“What, Laurence dude, we are not going into that, we don’t know where it leads”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>‘I’m not sure who you are, but I will take you to my home, I’m not sure if it’s there anymore, we’ll have to find out, please young Laurence, trust me’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence tapped the steering sticks and leaned back. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Alright Blue, let’s get you home”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The bear began to head into the wormhole. Hugo smacked him in the back of the head and Sean started giving him a lecture.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We don’t know where the wormhole leads, there are things out here that we can not fight, this is dangerous Laurence, you shouldn’t listen to something that we just got in, we stole a war vessel and we can not follow it into the hole, we are already in danger, why would you listen to something we don’t even know that-“</p><p> </p><p>His rambling was cut off as they floated in front of what looked like a castle, it was bigger than any building that Laurence had seen, the bear headed into a large bubble that surrounded the castle. The bear stopped in a large room and bowed its head.</p><p> </p><p>They walked out of the cockpit and climbed down to the floor. Their feet clanked on the metal as they hit the ground. Everyone looked around the large room. Laurence turned as the bear creaked, she tilted her head up, her eyes twinkled yellow.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Where are we”</p><p> </p><p>“Not sure”</p><p> </p><p>Page climbed a set of stairs, everyone followed them. They came out in a room with a round panel in the middle and a large window showing space around them.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t recognize any of these constellations”</p><p> </p><p>Sean was looking out the window, Hugo joined him to look out.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“They definitely aren’t the Milky Ways constellations, that’s for sure”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane had picked up a knife that sat by the control panel, Page was looking at small gadgets that sat on one of the tables. Laurence pressed his index finger to a large egg shaped object in the back of the room, an identical one sat next to it.</p><p> </p><p>He knocked twice on the glass. It opened and a woman with dark pink skin and curly horns fell out, she gasped out a name and fell. Laurence barely caught her in time, her knees hit the ground with a thud. Blue eyes met pale pink eyes. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hello, are you alright”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence was shoved to the ground, a foot stepped on his arms and something cold hit the back of head.</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you and what are you doing in my castle, Father, Calloway, we have intruders”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean no harm, promise, ugh”</p><p> </p><p>She dug whatever it was, Laurence was praying it wasn’t a gun, harder into his head, Laurence swallowed, he looked over to where everyone else had their hands raised.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We were taken here by a blue bear, she said something about Nanoarrow, we’re trying to figure out what it is, I promise I’m not here to hurt you”</p><p> </p><p>The girl gasped above him, she stumbled back away from Laurence, he scrambled farther from her on the floor. Hugo held what looked like a gun in his hands.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t feel safe with you pointing a gun at my friend, I’m Hugo, and the guy you were pointing your gun at, is Laurence, we are from the Planet Earth, we come in peace”</p><p> </p><p>Page’s mouth was wide open, Kane was clutching onto the weapons that were on the table, she looked over at him, he turned to look at her, the knives dropped on the floor with a clang. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Where is my father, how did you get here”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She spoke with a British accent, she was frantic and shouted the words at them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We came on a flying blue bear, we don’t know anyone else, we’ve only seen you, we would like to know where we are, and if you know anything about Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She pressed her hand to the other pod, a man with an orange mustache and dark red skin fell out, he hit the ground and popped up, his hands were in fists. Laurence was still on the floor, Hugo sat the weapon down and raised his hands.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The girl went to the panel in the middle and placed her hands on it. A projection popped up, red dots popped up everywhere. She gasped again and stumbled backwards, her hand covered her mouth.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“C-Calloway, Eerodoth, I-it’s gone, I can’t find it on, and the planets that surround it, they’re, oh, my parents”</p><p> </p><p>Her back straightened, tears ran down her face, her mouth was in a frown. She slammed her hands down on the console, the image that floated above it flickered. She turned to Calloway.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“This is Zelkovas’s doing, that’s why father was, he told you didn’t he, why wouldn’t you tell me we were in danger, I could have done something, now father is, missing”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“He’s gone Princess, your father told me that if he didn’t return, it was because he wa-“</p><p> </p><p>She held her hand out, Calloway closed his mouth.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t, then are all the Paladins of Nanoarrow; we need to stop him we can not let him kill more than he has, who knows how many have died already Calloway, we need, we need to figure something out”</p><p> </p><p>Her voice cracked midway through the sentence, she fell to her knees and sobbed.</p><p> </p><p>Sean walked up to her and placed his hand on her back. She looked up with fear in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Is there anything we can do, we have heard of Nanoarrow, we’ll do anything we can to help”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Her eyes met his, Sean helped her stand. She moved her way towards a set of gadgets on the other side of where Kane stood. She picked up a radar gun and pointed it at Laurence’s head, he covered himself with his arms, it beeped, she nodded and tapped something into the interface she was messing with earlier.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing Princess”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We don’t have time to do the Nanoarrow ceremony properly, we need new Paladins now, I am getting readings on their personalities and assigning them a bear, and hoping that the bear accepts them”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Calloway touched her on the arm as she pointed the gun at Hugo. After it beeped she typed more things into the system.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“That is never how it has worked, The Bears are not going to enjoy this, we need to do the ceremony properly and we need to find The Bears so that they can bon-“</p><p> </p><p>“Calloway, please”</p><p> </p><p>She pointed the gun at Kane, he slapped it away from his head, and glared at her, she rolled her eyes and huffed.</p><p> </p><p>“That tells me enough, I need all of your names please”



They began to all say their names, each time one of them spoke, she would look up at who spoke, then type things quickly into the screen in front of her. She moved on fast.

</p><p> </p><p>When she was finished with scanning them all and typing whatever she was typing into her program, a screen popped up with all of their faces next to a bear, they all varied in color, some varied in size.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Can you explain what is going on please, we’re a little lost”</p><p> </p><p>Sean walked closer to the interface and looked at the girl through the screen she was looking at, their eyes met, she sighed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I am Princess Angelica Helicyion of Eerodoth, we have spent centuries in a war with the Anicious, the only thing that has kept them at bay is Nanoarrow, it has saved many planets and galaxies from these bloodthirsty monsters”</p><p> </p><p>She pulled up a hologram, it showed five bears forming a large robot, the robot struck a pose and spun in the center after it was complete.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Nanoarrow, the Bears combine and create it, five Paladins pilot the five Bears, I have five of you, so I am assigning you to one of the bears and you will fight the Anicious, and save the universe”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane shook his head and laughed lightly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The most trained of us has never flown a spaceship, he was the copilot, the rest of us either have never flown a real ship, or haven’t flown a ship in a few years, and you want us to fly a giant war machine, us, we are extremely under qualified”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’ll learn, one of you flew the bear here, no, you will figure it out, you have to, you came from Earth, correct, it’s survival depends on Nanoarrow, if not now, then in a few years, it will be nothing but dust, and everyone there will be dead, I don’t want what has possibly happened to my home, to happen to yours”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She looked around at the five of them. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So please, help the universe”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence, who had gotten off of the floor and was standing by Sean, walked her way, he shrugged and threw his arm around Angelica’s shoulder, he smiled a warm smile at her and winked.</p><p> </p><p>“If it means I get to spend some time with you Princess, then I’m down”</p><p> </p><p>She kicked his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground again, he grunted as he hit the floor. Kane busted out laughed, soon everyone else joined in. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Be quiet and follow me, I’ll give you part of what it take to become a Paladin of Nanoarrow”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading, I have zero clue when the next chapter will be out. Probably no time soon, I should finish rewatching Voltron first, no promises though. I’ve been making alien species and I’m really excited to write about some of those. Some of them are really cool and I put way too much thought into them to maybe write about them like twice, but y’know, that happens. They’ll probably meet one of them next chapter!! I don’t know how closely I’m gonna follow the plot, I’m gonna try to make this my own story, but still make it feel like Voltron is some aspects. I have big plans for some of the characters, I’m so excited for Hugo (Hunk) and Kane’s (Keith) character arcs. I haven’t decided what I’m doing for some of them. I haven’t one hundred percent decided what to do for Laurence (Lance) yet, his stuff is not as clear, but I still have big plans for him, he will be important. I love Lance and I promise to do him justice, he won’t be a sad farmer. But anyway, thank you for reading!! Next chapter I’ll get to write about aliens, I’m ready for that, and I’ll get to work on writing action because I kind of suck at that. This is way too long, I’m sorry :) .</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Quest to Find the Puzzle Pieces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This took me a little while, but I thought a lot of the things in this chapter through, like I designed new armor for them so I knew how to describe it and stuff like that. This was a fun chapter!! I hope you enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ooh, a cool outfit, these are nice”</p><p> </p><p>“Those are your suits, they fit to your body so that the fit is comfortable, you’ll be able to fight in them easily”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone looked at the suits, they were in similar tubes as the Princess and Calloway. A light shone on them. The helmet was sleek, the chin was square and the head rounded, a small upside down pentagon was on the top, it jutted off the top slightly, the side of it curved off from the chin and met again before the top of the helmet, you could see through small triangles at the top of the curves, you couldn’t see into the face shield. </p><p> </p><p>Laurence grabbed the helmet and weighed it in his hands, it was the same blue color as the bear that he flew here.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The black under suit helps the vacuum seal so that you don’t die of cold or lose oxygen, it’s essential, like the helmet; the rest of the suit, minus the sleeves and small parts of the pants, are solid metal, it’s easy to move in but hard to penetrate with a weapon”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> The shoulder pads were solid metal also, the sleeves looked kind of loose fitting but were tight at the wrist. The leg armor was large at the hips, and lower thigh. The boots covered the shin and provided foot protection, ankle supports were on the sides of the shoes, triangle shaped pieces of metal covered the knees.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“They are what my great great great great great Grandad designed for the Nanoarrow Paladins, they aren’t too out of date, they still look nice”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She smiled sadly at Kane then looked away. She looked at the rest of the suits and jestered at them. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You can try them on if you’d like, I’ll go wait in the other room, you’ll have to get good at putting them on quickly, don’t take too long though, we have to find the other bears, I have a plan for that, I’ll meet you in the room we were just in when you are done”</p><p> </p><p>When the princess was out of the room, Kane held his helmet in his hands, he threw it a few times then placed it on his head. You couldn’t see his face through it. Page was trying to figure out how to put the suit on, Laurence and them were arguing about it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You have to put the black under thing on first, why wouldn’t you, see like I am, there’s no way to put it on if you don’t put it on first”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Why, Page that’s fucking stupid”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Angelica said to put it on first”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo looked at the tube in front of him, he pressed his hand to the glass. It slid down, fog fell down from the bottom as it opened, the suit was freezing cold. He turned around and looked at everyone else getting ready.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are we really doing this, we don’t really know these people, and we don’t know if what Alena, I don’t remember her name, said is the truth, are we just trusting people that we don’t really know”</p><p> </p><p>“They seem trustworthy”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean looked at Hugo with a small smile.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve heard a lot of stories about species of aliens while I was imprisoned by the Anicious, I’ve never heard a single bad thing about the Eerodoth, I’ve barely heard anything about them actually, I’ve heard a shit ton about the Anicious, maybe it was because I was imprisoned by them, but at the moment, I trust them, so I think you should too”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean pulled the chest plate over his head, he adjusted it from the head hole, it sucked in to fit his chest, he looked at it and knocked on the solid metal.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’d rather you guys not be doing this, I don’t think she understands how dangerous the Anicious actually are, I don’t think that you guys understand how dangerous they are”</p><p> </p><p>“What about everyone else that has been attacked or will be attacked, she said at some point that they were coming to earth, so we should stop them before that, the bear took us all here for a reason”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane rubbed his finger over a nick in his suit then looked at Laurence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The idiot is right, that cave has never lit up like that”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not an idiot”</p><p> </p><p>Kane ignored him.</p><p> </p><p>“It had to for a reason, and I think it was because we were all there, the Princess said that the Bears choose their pilots or something like that, and the Blue Bear let Laurence fly it, she at least chose him, hopefully the rest do too”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re just hoping everything goes well, and if it does and we are the new Paladins, then what, we fight and win a war that’s been going on for centuries, who knows how much they’ve expanded and what planets they’ve already taken over, this is reckless”</p><p> </p><p>Kane placed a gloved hand on Sean’s shoulder, he patted it twice.</p><p> </p><p>“We can find someone else, I know that you have already served your time in the war, and thank you for that, we need someone who has more experience than the rest of us, that’s why Angelica assigned you to the Black Bear, we need you on the team Sean”</p><p> </p><p>Kane began to walk out the door, everyone else followed him but Sean, who stood in the same spot.</p><p> </p><p>“What if he doesn’t budge and we don’t have a Paladin for the Black Bear, won’t we be fucked”</p><p> </p><p>They all stood in front of the table, Angelica whipped her head up and looked at them, her eyes frantic. </p><p> </p><p>“Good, you’re here, now sit in the chairs, I have to discuss everything and explain everything to you”</p><p> </p><p>They sat at the long table, Angelica’s eyes skimmed over them.</p><p> </p><p>“Where’s Sean, I need everyone here”</p><p> </p><p>Strands of her hair hung off of her horns, she had rolled up the sleeves of her dress.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s hesitant on fighting the Anicious, he’s fought them before and knows they aren’t easy to beat, he doesn’t want us to get killed”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’ll end up dead eventually if you don’t do anything, the world needs Nanoarrow now more than ever”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence moved around in his suit, he jumped up and down to listen to the clank of the suit. He smiled at everyone when they looked back at him. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What, I’m making music”</p><p> </p><p>————————————————————</p><p> </p><p>“So you’ve located where most of the Bears are, but you can’t find the Black Bear”</p><p> </p><p>“Correct, I’m hoping that when we get the other Bears that they can tell us the location of the Black Bear, ask Blue when you start to see if we knows anything, the Green Bear will most likely be the easiest because of the planet she’s on, I’m not one hundred percent sure, I suggest you start there”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo looked at the Princess and sighed, he pinched the bridge of his nose and began to speak.</p><p> </p><p>“Is there a specific order we should go in”</p><p> </p><p>“The Red Bear is on an Anicion ship, you might want to go there last, it will probably be the hardest to get, the rest seem to be on planets that aren’t too dangerous as far as I can tell, once you get one of the others Bears you can split up”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean shifted his helmet to his hips and spoke up. He had come in midway through the meeting and sat in his seat, Angelica thanked him for coming in. He just smiled at her and nodded, he didn’t look very enthusiastic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure that’s a good idea, splitting up”</p><p> </p><p>“The Bears will protect you if you get in trouble, you shouldn’t worry about it, it will be good practice if you do, oh I forgot your bayards”</p><p> </p><p>She moved into the room that they were in before and opened another set of tubes. Half circles with a bar in the middle floated in the tubes, they each had a small bit of the color of their bears on them.</p><p> </p><p>“These are Bayards, they form to the weapon that seems most fit to the Paladin, they can change over time, they can be used to form different weapons for Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p>Kane picked his up and turned it in his hand. It formed into a sword. He looked at the blade.</p><p> </p><p>“A Knightly Sword, used in the High Middle Ages, it was used in a lot of period paintings from that time, it’s double edged, Henry the Second is known for using it”</p><p> </p><p>“How do you know that Hugo”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“I took a weapons class at Silver Creek”</p><p> </p><p>On Kane’s other hand a sheild appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“A Heather Sheild, used around the same time”</p><p> </p><p>They were engraved with symbols that none of them recognized. Kane ran a finger along the blade, his finger came back bloody. He popped it in his mouth afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>Laurence picked up his, it turned into some sort of gun. </p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, a Dragunov Sniper Rifle, a semi automatic, first made in the Soviet Union in nineteen sixty three, it’s been used by a lot of countries in wars since then”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m so confused on how you can just look at this, and figure out what it is”</p><p> </p><p>“Weapons was the only class that was interesting, other than the flight simulators, but we always failed those, Ms.Davick was a really interesting person”</p><p> </p><p>Page activated theirs, the base of the bayard expanded and formed a long pole, a curved blade sat on the top, the blade glowed a neon green.</p><p> </p><p>“A scythe, used to mow grass typically, dates back to around 5000 BC, the grim reaper and the titan Cronus are known for wielding one, there are multiple variations of the scythe”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo picked up his and turned to everyone. It turned into a double barrel shotgun.</p><p> </p><p>“M30 Luftwaffe Drilling, used in World War Two, the German military used them from 1941 to 1942, hunters used them in the 1930s”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence stared at him and rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The amount of knowledge you have of weapons is alarming”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I took a class in school, I said that”</p><p> </p><p>“The Black bayard is missing, we think it’s with the Black Bear, who Calloway thinks is with the old Paladin of the Black Bear, Zelkovas, he’s the emperor of the Anicious, so, we’ll have to find out a way to get that, sooner rather than later”</p><p> </p><p>Kane shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“He isn’t gonna like that”</p><p> </p><p>Kane pointed to Sean, Sean clicked his tongue.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t like any of this so, we’ll get the Black Bear eventually”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They all walked towards the Blue Bear and stood by Laurence’s chair once they were in the cockpit. He flew out of the Castle of Bears and headed to the first set of coordinates that Angelica sent him.</p><p> </p><p>The planet was very green, full of vegetation. It was beautiful. Laurence landed in a clearing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll take Hugo to get his Bear, you guys be careful okay, keep your whatever they’re called on you at all times alright”</p><p> </p><p>Sean and Page walked out onto the green grass.</p><p> </p><p>“Kane, you should stay on the bear in case they run into trouble and need more help, Page and I will look for the Green Bear”</p><p> </p><p>Kane rolled his eyes, Sean and Page watched as the Blue Bear flew away. They stood in the middle of nowhere and looked around.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, now where to start looking”</p><p> </p><p>“Just start somewhere and we’ll eventually find it, or maybe someone that knows”</p><p> </p><p>Page began to walk forward into the mess of trees and large planets that surrounded them. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hopefully they’re peaceful”</p><p> </p><p> They moved leaves and from their path as they walked, Page’s windshield fogged as they sighed. It was mostly silent between them, Page was trying to feel their Bear, they got no luck.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So, about the mission with my brother and dad, what was the last thing you remembered from them, maybe that could help place them”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Micheal and I stayed in the same jail cell for about a month or so, maybe more, it was really hard to tell, we would go in and out of the cell on the daily for different things, usually a fight, one day he was taken out of the cell and never came back, I haven’t seen your dad since they took us”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page sighed and closed their eyes. They didn’t want to cry in front of Sean, so they held it back. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Is that all you know”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m really sorry Page, I know you and Micheal were really close before he left and now you haven’t seen him for years, and you haven’t seen your dad for years, we’ll find them, I promise you’ll be reunited”</p><p> </p><p>Page smiled sadly at him and tried to focus, to see if they could feel the bear. A vision flashed before their eyes, it was of a large bubble that was covered in vines. They blinked and it was gone.</p><p> </p><p>“A big bubble covered in vines, that’s what we’re looking for”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay”</p><p> </p><p>They walked farther into the lush forest, they ran into a large river.</p><p> </p><p>“We could build a bridge”</p><p> </p><p>“I don't want to destroy the planet though”</p><p> </p><p>They spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out an alternative path across without getting wet, soon a small boat rowed up to them.</p><p> </p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you two doing, I have never seen you around before”</p><p> </p><p>A boy with goat ears, round eyes and a small round nose, looked at them from the boat. He turned his head, large eyes stared at them.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re looking for a large green bear, we are the Paladins of Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p>“Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Both Sean and Page nodded at him and smiled. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll have to take you to our leader, you’ll have talk to him so that you can get to the Bear, it’s very protected on our planet, and he wouldn’t just give it to anyone”</p><p> </p><p>“Shit, okay, take us to him, I’m sure we’ll be able get the Bear”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They were taken to a large castle. The river led straight into the castle. The small boy rowed till they were by the doors. A pair of guards stopped them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“State your business”</p><p> </p><p>“These two people claim that they are here for the Green Bear, one of them claims to be the Paladin, these are the people that our leader has been waiting for”</p><p> </p><p>The guards' eyes widened, they uncrossed the spears they were holding and let them through.</p><p> </p><p>“Head straight, the large doors at the end will lead you to him, be careful, he can be cruel at times”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them walked down the long hallway, the doors opened in front of them. A long blue carpet leads up to a throne. Many people stood around the king, fanning him, feeding him, or touching his arms, he smiled at them as they walked in. Large goat horns curled around his ears, his fur was a light brown color. His ears flicked as they walked closer.</p><p> </p><p>“Speak your business travelers”</p><p> </p><p>Sean stood up straight and looked at the king. The king smiled at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We are here for the Green Bear, we are the Paladins of Nanoarrow”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His smile didn’t falter, it widened as he laughed and looked over them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been waiting for you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The king kept his eyes on Sean.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Who would guess that the Paladin of the Green Bear would be just a fine specimen”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He winked at Sean. Sean’s face turned red, Page frowned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I am the Paladin of the Green Bear”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The king looked at Page and smiled a different, softer smile.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“And I am King Lucentio Valkazar, the ruler of Selpara, many many many years ago, Archelaus asked our home planet to be the place where the Green Bear is kept, and to make sure that whoever gets the bear is worthy of being its Paladin, my great great great great great great grandfather and him talked and discussed a plan to make sure that whoever would be working with the Green Bear next was made for it, if you are ready to take the challenge, then I am ready to begin”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page stood up straight, a determined look in their eye.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m ready”</p><p> </p><p>“Well good, I’ll explain your challenge to you then”</p><p> </p><p>——————————————————</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck are you doing Laurence”</p><p> </p><p>“Trying not to get us killed, what does it look like”</p><p> </p><p>A ship was trailing after them, so far Laurence had managed to dodge everything that they had shot at them, but the ship continued to shoot relentlessly, it was just time before they got hit.</p><p> </p><p>“You need to loose them, ah, fucking ask your Bear, she should have some advice”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Blue, ugh, please some help”</p><p> </p><p>He waited for a moment, the cock pit was quiet as Laurence barely dodged the shots that came their way. </p><p> </p><p>“Please sweetheart, come on give me some sort of advice, I won’t ask for anything ever again”</p><p> </p><p>That’s a lie Laurence.</p><p> </p><p>Laurence laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, yes it was a lie, but please, do you want us to die”</p><p> </p><p>Pull towards you with the controls, it should give you something to defend yourself, later on I’ll let you figure things out on your own. I’ve just told you this so you don’t die.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you Blue, that’s what I needed”</p><p> </p><p>He did as his Bear said and was able to take out multiple ships at a time, the laserbeam sliced them in half with ease.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“If this is us getting the Yellow Bear, we’re fucked when we go to get the Red Bear, I’m just saying”</p><p> </p><p>We’re reassembling Nanoarrow.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes Blue, that’s the plan”</p><p> </p><p>Blue whipped around and Laurence took out another line of ships, something slammed into the side of Blue and caused them to flip. Once Laurence got control, he split the ship in half.</p><p> </p><p>Oh</p><p> </p><p>“Just oh, aren’t you gonna be happy to see all of your buddies again”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence was about to be sandwiched between two ships, he moved out of the way just in time, they ran nose first into eachother, eventually blowing into bits.</p><p> </p><p>The Black Bear and I have, a rough history, and the Red Bear is annoying, he always has been, Yellow is very sweet though, I’ve never understood Green, but enjoy her company.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, quit getting hit, you’re gonna get us killed”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have control over that Kane, just fucking give me a minute to get out of this, then we’ll get the Yellow Bear, and we’ll be fine, just a few more ships”</p><p> </p><p>Laurence shot at a ship that was speeding towards them. The front half disconnected from the back half, it eventually blew up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“On your left Laurence”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo was holding onto a handle on Laurence's chair. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Laurence turned and shot another ship.</p><p> </p><p>“You doing okay buddy”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure”</p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t sound so sure, turn around.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He did as his Bear said and turned, a fleet of ships were closing in on them, Laurence managed to dodge them and they crashed towards him. That left the entrance to the ship they were trying to enter open. Laurence flew in close, Hugo put on his helmet.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t get killed Hugo”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“No promises Kane, I’ll tell you if I have any troubles”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence looked behind him and motioned him out of the cockpit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll do the same, now hurry, entra y sale, in and out, don’t die”</p><p> </p><p>“You know I don't understand spanish, I’ll be out soon”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo was ejected from the mouth of the Blue Bear, he ran towards the opening of a cave, no ships bothered him, they were too busy shooting at the Blue Bear. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once he was in, he looked around and headed down a path, the cave glowed a neon yellow, much like it had for the Blue Bear. As he traveled farther into the cave, he came face to face with something he had never seen before. The creature had ears that stuck out of their head, a small amount of fur stuck out of their cheeks, stripes that resembled those of a tiger ran across their face.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think you belong here”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The creature placed their hand on their hip and drew out a sword. Hugo pulled out his bayard, it activated, he cocked the rifle and shot at the exposed part of skin on the creature's shoulder. The creature fell with a shout, Hugo headed down a hallway past the wounded creature. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An image flashed past his eyes. It was of the Yellow Bear, it was roughly the same size as the Blue Bear, with more bulk to its build. Hugo watched as its eyes glowed yellow, then the image disappeared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck, now to find that I guess”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo snuck around the corner, the room he was just in looked the same as the one he had entered. He cussed under his breath as he heard footsteps. He snuck into a room and pressed his ear to the door, he listened to the footsteps recede, a hand grabbed his elbow.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“An intruder, I’ll have to take you to Zelkovas and you’ll await your punishme-“</p><p> </p><p>Hugo slammed his elbow into the guy's jaw before he could finish his sentence, he ran from the scene and turned down two identical hallways, he looked around to see if he could find anything that looked like it could lead to the Yellow Bear. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo waited for two guards to walk past him, they carried a skinny boy with long, pink ears and small horns, he had a pink square on his nose, he kicked and tried to get away from the guards with no luck, he looked really pale.</p><p> </p><p>Hugo aimed at their backs with his gun and shot them both between the shoulder blades, before they could do anything Hugo picked up the kid and ran the other direction.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not gonna hurt you okay, my name is Hugo, I’m a Paladin of Nanoarrow, I’m trying to find the Yellow Bear, then we’re gonna get out of here, okay”</p><p> </p><p>The kid shook in his arms, he nodded against Hugo’s neck. They came upon a room that was large, a giant yellow bear sat until the middle. Hugo ran towards the barrier and pressed his hands to it, he closed his eyes and hoped it would open.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He could hear footsteps coming, Hugo cussed under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on buddy, please, I have to save this kid right now, so if you would open for me, we can all get out of here, my name is Hugo, Princess Angelica assigned me as your Paladin, so if you would open up and we could get this kid home that’d be nice”</p><p> </p><p>The Bears eyes glowed a bright yellow, the barrier broke down, Hugo let out a laugh and scooped up the kid. The ramp opened and closed behind them once they were in. </p><p> </p><p>Hugo sat the kid on the floor and jumped in the chair, he placed his hands on the controls and pulled up like he had seen Laurence do to lift Blue out of the castle. Nothing happened.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Come on boy, we’re kind of in danger right now”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo watched from the window as Ancious closed in on the Bear. He tapped on the handles, he felt his heart swell.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>‘Shit sorry, I’ve been asleep.’</p><p> </p><p>A deep man's voice that Hugo had never heard before rang in his ears. Hugo laughed and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, let’s go”</p><p> </p><p>This time when Hugo pulled up, the Yellow Bear roared to life, he busted through the ceiling of the ship. All the ships turned around and looked at him. Then they began to shoot at the Yellow Bear. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hugo what the fuck”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Watch your mouth Laurence, come on, we gotta get out of here”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo could hear banging from the other side of the connection.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Laurence, you fucking dumbass, we need to go or we’re gonna be alien food, pick it up let’s go”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Shut up, I’m trying to get us out, Hugo, we’re gonna have to book it and hope we can make a wormhole fast enough to get us back to the castle”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo slammed into a ship, the ship was sent spiraling into two others. The kid whimpered as the Bear shook.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’m gonna get you out of here, I promise”</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you talking to Hugo”</p><p> </p><p>Kane’s voice was confused, it seemed farther away than Laurence’s had been.</p><p> </p><p>“I found a kid in there, so I saved him, I’m gonna take him home after we get back to the Castle of Bears, so we should get working on that, come on, we’ll go back before we go to get the Red Bear”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“We have to focus on getting out now, how the fuck do we make a worm hole”</p><p> </p><p>A shot hit the Yellow Bear in the back, he was sent spiraling backwards, his back hit the Blue Bear, it caused all of them to grunt. Ships surrounded them, Laurence cussed into the mic. Hugo felt the same way.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What now genius, you said we wouldn’t get caught, so what’s your plan”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence scoffed, a thud barely reached Hugo’s ears.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Shut the fuck up Kane”</p><p> </p><p>—————————————————————</p><p> </p><p>“So I have to beat you in real life Mario Kart, okay, you’re on grandpa”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio stared at Page with a shocked expression on his face, his eyes widened as they looked at them.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I’m not old, but okay”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio giggled nervously and headed towards the door. Page and Sean followed him. The king took long strides, his shoes clicked when they hit the ground. Page glanced at Sean, his cheeks were still tinted pink.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They held Sean back, he looked down at them and shrugged.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What, we’re here to get the Green Bear and we’re almost there, now let’s get the Bear Page”</p><p> </p><p>“A king, literal royalty, just flirted with you, and you only give a shit about the Bear, it’s here, we’re gonna get her, okay, don’t worry about the Green Bear”</p><p> </p><p>Sean rolled his eyes and pulled his arm out of Page’s grip. He let out a sigh and looked at where Lucentio was standing, he was standing with his hands on his hips, his head cocked slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t about me finding a date, we’re here to get the bear, then go back to the castle and finalize a plan, we need to defeat the Anicious before it gets to Earth, or even here”</p><p> </p><p>“We can’t beat them overnight, you can’t let this be your priority, you can have a life outside of defeating the Anicious, I know I haven’t fought them, and I don’t know shit about them except for what you’ve said about them, but still, don’t let everything beat you up, enjoy your time as a Paladin, we’re gonna be in space for a while, just think about it, he seems to like you a bit maybe”</p><p> </p><p>Page took a few steps closer to Lucentio and patted Sean on the back.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, I’m prioritizing being a paladin of Nanoarrow, now let’s get the Green Bear”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t even want to be a paladin not too long ago, now that’s the only thing you care about, I’m not the best at dissecting people so I’m not gonna continue this conversation, just know he seems nice, and even if you don’t like him or whatever, they can be a critical part of our team, we should think about creating an alliance”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page rolled their eyes at Sean, and skipped head to meet back up with Lucentio. Lucentio smiled at them.</p><p> </p><p>“Is everything alright”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, just a little talk with ole Sean, I’m ready, promise, we can go ahead of him”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio glanced at Sean and began walking towards a track, they walked off of the path, green, lush grass went up to Page’s knees.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure he’s alright, he seems distant”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah he’s good, okay, now, onto whooping your ass, what are the rules”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio laughed. They stood on a large asphalt track, Page wasn’t sure where it went.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s like any other race, the first on to cross the finish line wins, the track is quiet long, so only one lap, the small car is yours, they run the same, swear, we can change if you don’t believe me, but it’s pretty simple”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio got in a black, sleek car, he climbed through the window, it was kind of shocking how someone so large could fit into such a small space. Page followed Lucentio's lead in their own car. </p><p> </p><p>A tall woman stood in front of their cars, she waved and smiled. A flag in hand. Page found their footing with the petals and checked to see if the steering wheel was good. They put their hand on the shift.</p><p> </p><p>“Make sure you’re careful, and don’t hit Natasi”</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t crash and die or hit Natasi, promise”</p><p> </p><p>Sean was standing at the top of a set of large bleachers. He sat down with his chin in his hands. Natasi raised the flags, Page sat back in their seat and shifted around to get comfortable. Their feet touched the petals.</p><p> </p><p>“On your mark”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Page’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel. They adjusted their grip on the wheel and took a breath, They hoped less than two years of driving experience was enough to beat someone who was like thirty something. </p><p> </p><p>Lucentio revved his engine, Page watched his smile widen from inside of his car, they could see him drum a tune in the wheel.</p><p> </p><p>“Get set”</p><p> </p><p>Page briefly looked over the stretch of track that they could see, it wasn’t too complicated, this whole situation reminded them of Mario Kart, Page had never lost a game of Mario Kart.</p><p> </p><p>Natasi pulled the flags down and they were off. Already Page was behind. They followed Lucentio’s car on the straight, and cut the corner on the first curve. They were close to each other, Page was able to see into his window.</p><p> </p><p>They shoved their foot on the gas and cut in front of him. Lucentio’s tires screeched as he hit the brakes. Page could hear Sean yell, be careful, from the bleachers. Page smiled and looked in the rearview mirror, to see Lucentio looking at them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A jump was coming up, Page knew that if they didn’t go fast enough they wouldn’t make it. So they pulled a Kane, and sped up, it felt different this time, like they were in control of the situation. The car felt like it weighed nothing, they moved with the car so they didn’t feel the impact as much.</p><p> </p><p>Page could hear Lucentio laugh from their car, Page drifted to cut him off at the corner again. A drop off came up, they let the car slow down a bit, then sped up at the bottom of the hill. Lucentio was closer to Page then before the drop off.</p><p> </p><p>They glanced to the side of them, a part of the track that was farther away and would take a jump stood out to them, they glanced to where Lucentio’s was catching up and turned towards the edge of the track. They jumped off and landed hard on the track, once they got control of the car, they turned it so it would face the correct direction and pressed on the gas.</p><p> </p><p>Page rolled down the windows so that wind would fill the car, their hair whipped every which way, a feeling of freedom filled them.  </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A long stretch was ahead, Page pressed on the gas, ignoring the speedometer behind the wheel. They could feel the Green Bear's energy thrum in their system. It filled Page with an emotion they didn’t know how to explain, something new, something exciting and scary at the same time. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lucentio seemed to slow down. He wasn’t as close as they saw the finish line. After crossing, Page could hear his laugh fill their ears.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Congrats, it was bold of you to jump off the side, I honestly wasn't expecting it, take half a lap to cool down the car, it’s not good to go really fast then stop all of the sudden”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio smiled at them and placed one of his hands over his head, they cruised alongside each other slowly. He pulled at his horns and looked ahead again.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll take you to the Green Bear after, she’ll be waiting for you”</p><p> </p><p>Sean had walked down to the track as their cars halted to a stop. Lucentio checked both cars briefly, looking under the hood quickly then slamming it again. He nodded at Natasi, who walked to the cars.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Come on, you raced well, for someone who didn’t know the track too well, I probably should have taken you on a lap to get to know it first, I had a bit of an advantage”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you let me win”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lucentio didn’t answer as Sean joined them on the path. Lucentio patted Page on the shoulder and began to walk ahead of them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I hope you enjoyed the race”</p><p> </p><p>“It was interesting, I was a bit worried about letting Page drive a car, especially in a race, but it went well”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio laughed again and took them down a path filled with plants, much like the place they had been in the beginning. Their feet crunched under leaves. Lucentio waved to his people as some of the walked by.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I wasn't too worried, I’m glad it wasn’t too boring, I’d have to say I was a little distracted during it though”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio turned and winked at Sean, Sean’s face turned red. Lucentio let out a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Where is the Green Bear”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio turned red and looked at Page. He cleared his throat and turned to begin walking again.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, the Green Bear, sorry, it’s enveloped in vines, she’ll open once she realizes you are her Paladin, it shouldn’t take too much, she’ll know it’s you when we get close”</p><p> </p><p>They continued to walk. Lucentio talked a bit about how his kingdom was doing.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ve struggled to eat lately, I haven’t been eating much myself, father always said that would be my downfall, caring more for others than myself, we’ve been having a really bad drought and not many animals live here”</p><p> </p><p>They stood in front of the bubble that Page had seen in their vision. Page breathed in and sighed. Mouth falling open in awe. Lucentio motioned to the Bear.</p><p> </p><p>Page pressed their hands to the vines, the thorns poked at their hands, but they tried to ignore it.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Page Hughes, I’m your Paladin, and it would be a pleasure to work with you to defend the universe, if you would open up for me, we could make that happen Green”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A light chuckle filled their mind. Page could feel the Bear laughing. Page chuckled along.</p><p> </p><p>The vines began to fall around them. One fell into Pages hands, this time roses fell with the thorns. They thudded gently on the ground and covered the floor at Pages feet. Page looked up and watched as the Bear was uncovered by the beautiful vines. It was unlike anything Page had ever seen before.</p><p> </p><p>“I think the rose vines are a beautiful metaphor for the Green Bear, of Nanoarrow in general, a beautiful thing can cause destruction, but not all beautiful things are destructive”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio picked up a few of the vines and laid them in Sean’s arms; he smiled and stepped back to look at the bear.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never seen her before, I also didn’t expect the roses, it’s all very fitting”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He smiled at the two of them, his eyes soft. He looked at the Green Bear with the same expression. Then he got serious, he cleared his throat and like turned to them.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d like to make an alliance with Nanoarrow, years before it was what kept the universe together and I believe that it’s our only hope now, I don’t want to side with the Anicious, those are the only two sides, tell the princess that I think it would be a good idea for her to get together as many people that can help her as possible”</p><p> </p><p>He pulled out a piece of paper, and something that resembled a pen, he wrote in beautiful writing in a language that Page had never seen before. He pressed the paper into Sean’s hand and closed Sean’s fingers around it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“This is for the Princess, it has people I believe can help her and says that I would like to be on your side, it also has advice on how to rule, because I fear it’s Archelaus’s daughter, she is not fit to rule yet, I hope she will be soon”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lucentio smiled, a small blush on his face. He laughed and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“There, is also a way to contact me, if anyone ever feels the need to, for anything at all, I’ll try to help in as many ways as I can, it might be something small, or, just anything”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lucentio looked around and shrugged. His eyes then landing on Page.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Be careful with who you trust out here, not everyone is who they seem to be, I’m glad to have met you and plan to see you again”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio looked at Sean, his face getting more red. He scratched at the tufts of fur on his cheeks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, don’t be afraid to talk to me, I don’t do much, I have a lot of free time, if you ever are also free, I- I would like to see you again”</p><p> </p><p>Lucentio swallowed hard and turned quickly. He stepped over vines in the ground, making sure his long legs strode over them. His tail was wagging one hundred miles an hour. You could hear him cuss under his breath.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I-it was nice meeting you, I’ll see you again, m-make sure my note gets to the Princess please, thank you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He walked off and left Page and Sean with the Green Bear. Page had a shit eating grin on their face. Sean shoved their face away so he didn’t have to see it.</p><p> </p><p>“Is this still not about you finding a date”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It’s still not about me finding a date”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean clutched the bundle of flowers to his chest. He looked down at them, then to the dot in the distance that was Lucentio. Sean sighed. Page just shook their head and turned towards their Bear.</p><p> </p><p>Page placed their hand on the paw of the Bear, it dropped its head and opened. Page ran in and sat in the chair, it fit to their height right away and shifted so they were in the perfect position. </p><p> </p><p>‘Hello, I’m sure that Rehan is, dead, and that you are my new Paladin, it will be an honor to work with you Page.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry about your old Paladin, I promise to not let you down”</p><p> </p><p>The Green Bear rumbled, Page pulled slightly on the handles in front of them. The Bear lifted. Page waved at Lucentio, they didn’t know if Lucentio was looking or could even see them waving, they waved anyway. Soon they were surrounded by stars and could only see the greenness of the planet they had just left. The voice of the Green lion spoke in Page’s head.</p><p> </p><p>‘It’s not your fault Rehan died, it was bound to happen eventually, I wish it would have been later, but life happens.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I guess Green, take us to the Castle of Bears will you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>‘It would be my pleasure.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean held onto the headrest as a large black hole opened in front of them. Page slowly entered the hole, with the Green Bear safe and sound. The Castle of Bears sat in front of them. </p><p> </p><p>The Green Bear was home at last.</p><p> </p><p>———————————————————</p><p> </p><p>“I hope you know, we can not let them have the Bears, like under any circumstance”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh really Kane, thanks for letting me know about that, it was almost like that wasn’t obvious”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The two of them stared at the ship that was in front of them, Kane sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“Turn over the Blue and Yellow Bear, and we will not harm you, Zelkovas has chosen to spare you if you give the Bears to us peacefully and with no argument”</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck do we do”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo looked over to where the Blue Bear was. Kane was typing something into the panel on the front of the Bear, Laurence was scowling at him. A minute later Kane spoke.</p><p> </p><p>“Will you be taking us to the ship then giving us a vessel to go back home with”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, you will be going to the same ship that the other Bear already is on, then we will send you back to wherever you please to go. We will not harm you this way”</p><p> </p><p>Kane scratched his chin and looked at Laurence then turned back. </p><p> </p><p>“Fine, we will follow you, and promise not to shoot, I speak for the Paladin of the Yellow Bear also, we will not harm you if you don’t harm us”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a deal then, follow us please”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The connection that they were talking through clicked off, the sound of static filled the silence between the three of them. Hugo looked at them in the Blue Bear.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck Kane, Angelica is not gonna be happy”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you stupid, the only idiots in a thirty foot radius are you, and the guy I just talked to, he told us the Red Bear is on the ship, so we go there, pretend to give up the Bears, get the Red Bear and get the fuck out of there, I’m just hoping it was a slip up and not a way to bait us”</p><p> </p><p>It was silent for a minute, Hugo lightly shoved forward and followed the ship through a wormhole.</p><p> </p><p>‘This isn’t the best solution, we don’t know how many ships are there and Blue and I can only fight off so many, if we can get the Red Bear it’s still not ideal, I’m not sure about this Hugo.’</p><p> </p><p>“What other choice do we have Yellow, obviously it’s not ideal, we have to go there anyway to get Red”</p><p> </p><p>Yellow sighed as a large ship appeared in front of them, they were being waved on to an opening by something that looked similar to the alien Hugo saw while getting Yellow.</p><p> </p><p>‘I feel like we need a better plan, this is stupid.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So what’s the plan for when we get there Kane”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Drop me out of the mouth of the Bear, don’t open all the way, or try not to, I’ll get inside somehow, find the Red Bear, then get the fuck out of there”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hugo tapped his foot along the floor of his Bear, no other words were exchanged. </p><p> </p><p>They followed the command of the guy waving them on and flew onto the ship. They docked the Bears and waited for something to happen, no one was around them. Laurence opened the jaw of the Blue Bear slightly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Be quick, I don’t know how long we’re gonna be on the Bears, if you don’t hurry up, they’re gonna have three bears instead of one, and we’re gonna get killed, if not by these people, then by Angelica”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Kane was sure that no one was around, he slipped out of the mouth and landed gracefully on the ground. He walked down a hallway then stopped to listen. He heard nothing and continued to walk forward.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He came to a dead end. Cursing under his breath, he turned around to head back. A girl with stripes across her face, like they had seen when getting the Yellow Bear, stopped in front of him. Her eyebrows were drawn together, she pulled a gun out of a holster on her hip and shot at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane ran past her, he was shot in the side, it burned. Kane wasn’t sure if it went through his suit or not, he didn’t want to look.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He ended up at another dead end. By now, the woman had time to tell someone that he was running around the ship, she would be able to tell someone she saw him. After dodging people and knocking some guy out that tried to shoot him. He ended up in a large room, the Red Bear standing proud in the center.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He sighed, and touched the burn on his side, it was blistered and stung. It was manageable. He walked up to the Bear and pressed his hand to the glowing bubble that surrounded the Bear like he had seen Laurence do with the Blue Bear. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The barrier didn’t break down.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello”</p><p> </p><p>He could hear footsteps coming his way, they sounded like thunder as the boots of the soldiers hit the metal. Kane cussed under his breath as he knocked on the barrier.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Come on buddy, this isn’t the time to fuck around”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He locked eyes with a group of soldiers, Kane’s eyes widened in shock, a small gasp fell from his lips. They all glared at him and began shooting, Kane equipped his shield just before a shot hit him. They closed in slowly and shot at him as they did, it bounced off of his shield and hit the ground around him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“My name is Kane Kohan, I am the Paladin of the Red Bear, you, I’m your Paladin, Princess Angelica assigned me as your Paladin”</p><p> </p><p>Kane activated his bayard and held it out to the side of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck you”</p><p> </p><p> He sprung from his position and launched himself at the soldiers. His sword hit one of the soldiers in the helmet, and knocked him down. He knew he was outnumbered, he felt claustrophobic as unfamiliar people surrounded him, he tried to take them out to the best of his abilities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Something ripped off Kane’s helmet, he froze. From what little he paid attention in school he remembered one thing that was drilled into their heads from the very start, he could hear Professor Homellow voice in his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Remember students, you won’t remember anything else after fifteen seconds without a helmet, you’ll just be a floating body among the stars”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He scrambled to find the helmet on the floor, it wasn’t too far from him, he reached for the helmet, he tried not to breathe, tried not to think about breathing. His fingertips grazed the helmet, he scooted the helmet towards him, and shoved it back on his head, gasping for air. A foot kicked him in the ribs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane grabbed the foot and threw the guy off of him, the guy hit the ground, he hit his head on the ground, a puddle of blood surrounded the man's head.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Kane heard a deep chuckle in his head. The barrier surrounding the Bear dropped, Kane ran towards the Bear and pressed his hand to the red paw. A shot hit him straight in the exposed part of his thigh, he shouted in surprise and pain. The Red Bear closed the ramp after Kane was in, he hobbled towards the seat and sat down.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>‘That was stupid, don’t turn your back to them next time, you’re more protected from the front.’</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You fucking dick, what the fuck is wrong with you, I could have died just then”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane pressed his hand to his thigh, his hand came back covered in blood, some dropped off of his palm as he held it up. He wrapped both hands around the controls, one bloodied, one not. He pulled up violently on the sticks. The Red Bear growled and busted out of the ship.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Took you fucking long enough, come on”</p><p> </p><p>Blue and Yellow were both turned towards the Red Bear. A ship rammed into Yellow.</p><p> </p><p>“We need to fucking go, make a worm hole or something, like last time, I don’t know”</p><p> </p><p>The other sides were silent for a minute, it took a while until anyone talked.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay Kane”</p><p> </p><p>“I was shot, in the thigh, it’s bleeding, I’ll be okay let’s just get back, come on”</p><p> </p><p>‘It’s not bleeding too bad, I think you’ll be able to make it back to the Castle of Bears before you bleed out.’</p><p> </p><p>Kane scoffed and flew away from the ship, the Yellow and Blue Bears followed him, ships followed them as they made a wormhole, Yellow and Blue focused on getting rid of them as Red made the hole. Once it was open they flew through, making sure it closed after them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane led them into the Castle of Bears, they docked their Bears beside the Green Bear. Kane stood from his chair the second they docked.</p><p> </p><p>‘Are you mad at me?’</p><p> </p><p>“Shut the fuck up”</p><p> </p><p>‘I would have helped you if I saw that it was necessary, you did fine, it could have been much, much worse.’</p><p> </p><p>“You mean I could have died”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kane stood at the exit of the cockpit, he was honestly done with the Red Bear for the day.</p><p> </p><p>‘Yes, you could have died, you could have been more injured, if it makes you feel better, I’m proud of you.’</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t know shit about me”</p><p> </p><p>Kane stayed in the cockpit for a while, he could hear the Red Bear sigh before storming out and meeting Laurence and Hugo at the bottom of the ramp.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay”</p><p> </p><p>He walked past Laurence and Hugo into the castle. Hugo held onto the kid and moved out of Kane’s way as he stormed past. He sat down at the king table with the hologram thing on it and hiked his leg up on the table.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You all are back, do you have all of the Bears”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”</p><p> </p><p>Blood had seeped into the fabric of his uniform, it was a deep cut and looked kind of bad.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, are you injured, we have healing pods for you to use, if you want one, you don't even know it’s there afterwards”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine Angelica, thank you”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She laughed softly, Laurence and Hugo walked in and sat down. He smiled at Sean and Page. A sigh fell from his lips, tension fell from his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“How’d your guys journey to get the Green Bear go”</p><p> </p><p>“Wonderful”</p><p> </p><p>Page took their feet off of the table and sat their elbows on the table instead.</p><p> </p><p>“We met this king who, according to Sean, is pretty cute”</p><p> </p><p>Sean looked at Page and mumbled, I did not fucking say that, Page continued without paying attention to Sean.</p><p> </p><p>“I got to race him in a car, I won and got the Green Bear, then we talked about making an alliance with Lucentio, it was pretty nice, how was your time”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo, Laurence, and Kane all looked at Page like they had something on their face. Page blinked a few times and touched their face.</p><p> </p><p>“I almost fucking died, I got my helmet knocked off and was suffocating, and the Red Bear wouldn’t let me in the bubble thing, and I got shot, I had a dandy time”</p><p> </p><p>“We were shot at by a shit ton of ships, I learned a lot about Yellow, and found some kid I’m gonna take home in a bit it was wonderful”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“A fucking race car, what the fuck”</p><p> </p><p>Page pursed their lips and laughed nervously. They shrugged and jestered to the small child in Hugo’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s that”</p><p> </p><p>“Don't know, haven’t said a word since I’ve found em, how can I get you home buddy”</p><p> </p><p>Hugo sat the kid down and got on his level. A smile was on Hugo’s face. </p><p> </p><p>“I-I’m from Azeroth, I was taken b-by them when they attacked our-our-our planet, I just want t-t-to see my mommy a-a-again”</p><p> </p><p>Crocodile tears fell from the kids eyes. Laurence crouched down next to Hugo. He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from the kids face and ruffled his hair slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry kiddo, we’re gonna get you home alright”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Laurence turned to Angelica, who was standing at the front of the long table.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you find Azeroth so we can get him home, safe and sound, I wouldn’t want his parents to-“</p><p> </p><p>Laurence was cut off by a loud growl, the kid clutched to his side, Laurence, rubbed the kids back. They all looked towards the source of the growl. A large panel, that no one had noticed before, came down. It disappeared into the floor. The Black Bear stood behind it, its head held high.</p><p> </p><p>Angelica chuckled.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I was hoping that was the case, father always thought of everything, I don’t know how he did it under Zelkovas’s nose, but he pulled it off flawlessly”</p><p> </p><p>She smiled at the Bear, then turned to Sean, he was looking up at the Black Bear. Everyone was shocked. The Black Bear was huge. He stood taller than all the other bears, towered over them, they all craned their necks to try and look at the bears face.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You should go inside and see if your bayard is in there, it feels nice to have all the bears back home, I can breathe for a second, sadly not for long”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean walked up to the Black Bear and pressed his hand to the paw, the metal was freezing to the touch. The large head of the Bear lowered, his large jaw unhinging. </p><p> </p><p>Sean looked back at everyone else, Page waved him in, Laurence gave in two thumbs up, Hugo smiled, Kane just had his arms crossed. He turned back around and walked up the ramp.</p><p> </p><p>It was cold in the Bear. Sean’s teeth rattled, he walked slowly to the cockpit, it was eerily silent. He looked out the window of the Bear, everyone was waving from him inside. He looked at the seat and saw the Black Bayard. He picked it up and tossed it in his hands. He firmly grasped it. </p><p> </p><p>“The nagamaki, or long wrapping, used by samurais in feudal Japan”</p><p> </p><p>Sean’s voice echoed off the metal of the Bear. He still didn’t hear a single thing back he chuckled and sighed, his breath could be seen in the form of a cloud in front of him. Sean tapped the seat of the Bear</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Take your time, I know you can talk to me, I promise not to disappoint you, if that’s why you won’t talk to me, it’s a pleasure to be your Paladin, my name is Tanaka Sean”</p><p> </p><p>He waited to see if anything would happen, if his Bear would say a word, say or do anything.</p><p> </p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p> </p><p>Sean walked out of the Black Bear with his Bayard in hand. He held it up to Angelica. She clapped her hands together and smiled at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad that the Black Bayard was with the Black Bear, what did he have to say”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, not much, he’s a man of few words”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sean looked up at the Black Bear, then back to Angelica.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what about our plan to defeat the Anicious, I’m sure you’ve come up with something in the time we’ve been gone”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah!! They’ve got all of the Bears now!! I don’t know what I’m doing 100% for the next chapter yet. I’ll figure that out. Still haven’t finished Voltron, maybe I won’t finish Voltron I don’t know. My school is going back online, I have to take finals online, so that’s fun... I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! I really liked writing it. This was a fun chapter. Lucentio is my favorite character, I have so many different characters, and alien species thought out. I have this huge meeting scene where all of the people Nanoarrow make an alliance with get together and all their personalities clash and a party scene, and a few more. I’m just so excited to write everything. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Thank you for reading!!<br/>(Also if anyone has anything they hated about Voltron and or something they would want to change about it, I’d like to hear about them! I want this to be a better Voltron I guess, one where people are satisfied and enjoy it to the end. I know I can’t satisfy everyone but I can please some people, so yeah! I’d love to hear them!!)</p><p>(Update 2/25/21!! I’m still working on the story, just really slowly. This literally never leaves my mind. I plan to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, then work on a more linear plan. I just have ideas, not a strong plot line. I have to write the plot line chapter by chapter, or I get confused, and unmotivated. I am still writing though!! So sorry it’s taking so long!!)</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Finding Ways to Grow and Assemble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey!! I’m sorry this took so long, I’ve been planning out the story! Also, this chapter is all over the place, that’s part of the reason I’m planning out the story, the other is so I can get chapters out faster. I hope you enjoy the chapter!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <span>It was cold and dark. The stars surrounded a large ship, one that was bigger than anyone would ever need. He thought it showed power, his wealth and success so far. How far he’d come in two thousand years.</span>
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  <span>It made him feel powerful, that was all he ever needed.</span>
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  <span>Nowadays he didn’t even have to get up to destroy worlds, to take them over, he ordered the people that kissed the ground at his feet to do that. He just got the satisfaction of watching it all happening while sitting on his throne.</span>
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  <span>He would replay old videos of them taking over. Watch as images flashed through, sometimes they flickered, some in color, others not. They were all of cities burning to the ground, he listened as people screamed, or begged for their lives. He would watch from afar as they took over new planets, see bodies whose souls that now belonged to the gods, hit the ground, the dust coming up as they fell, blood surrounding them soon after. He would never show emotion during any of it, never say anything.</span>
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  <span>Archelaus always made everything too complicated, it was a flaw of his, one that, even to this day, Zelkovas thought about. Zelkovas watched how Archelaus ruled Eerodoth, how even though he always kept it together in front of his people, he never knew what he was doing, always overthinking the littlest things. Zelkovas told himself he wasn’t going to be like that. He wasn’t like that.</span>
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</p><p>
  <span>“Sire”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>While staring at nothing, the stars he supposed, he wasn’t sure. A woman, Haven, came to his door. He didn’t answer, he assumed she walked in.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a plan for what you are doing”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelkovas didn’t know what she was talking about, she was the one who dealt with their more complicated matters, it wasn’t that he wasn’t qualified too, he trusted her to come up with a better solution for them. She was smarter than him. Zelkovas didn’t stop staring out the window, he named the constellations quietly, he didn’t know how he knew them.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We think that the quintessence is almost ready to be tested on you, we’ve been testing it on larger animals, they’ve survived the tests, we need to make sure it works on smaller animals too, just to be safe”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will the quintessence make me stronger than I am now, that’s the plan Haven, if it just keeps me alive, that’s not enough”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She had stopped in front of the doorway, she didn’t come any closer than that. She covered her face with a mask, and covered her short frame with a cloak. She looked like she was floating as she walked.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know how much stronger it will make you, but it should make you stronger”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, that is wonderful news Haven”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and looked at her, her eyes glowed yellow in the darkness of the ship, Zelkovas smiled and sighed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“When can I begin testing, I would like to begin soon, taking over the universe can’t wait, we don’t know how long we have before something comes along and fucks up the beautiful opportunity that we have been gifted”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He clapped his hands, he couldn’t see her face, but he knew she was smiling.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Soon, I promise Sire, just a few more test and it will be ready to be used on you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She had been given bad news earlier that day, but saw no use in telling Zelkovas right now. He was in a good mood hearing about the quintessence, and didn’t need to be put in a bad mood due to the news. She would probably regret her decision later.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“How soon is soon, you and times have never been consistent, and you speak in riddles when you speak of time, I want a clear answer Haven”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure, a few months at least”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She slouched more, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer, more grey hair fell into her face, it blocked her vision of Zelkovas’s feet almost completely. A large hand patted her on the head, he let out a chuckle, then returned his hand to his side. Haven didn’t react.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was all I needed Haven, you are dismissed”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Haven released a breath and walked away from him. Before she left the room she could hear a familiar tune being hummed by the large man, who now stood alone in the room. She closed the door and left without giving it a second thought.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you don’t have a plan”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane’s feet were kicked up on the table, he stared at the ceiling, his feet tapped out a song that no one could hear. Laurence’s chin laid in his hands, his eyes shut, he snored softly. Hugo tried to pay attention, tried to follow along with Angelica’s “plan”, but got confused mid way through. (Hugo and Laurence were both kind of upset after going to Azeroth to take the kid back, they found the planet in shambles. His parents were alive at least. Laurence would deny that he cried at the reunion. Hugo knew better). Page found some sort of machine and had been fiddling with it the whole time. Sean was the only one who was really engaging.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t have a plan, but, that honestly doesn’t matter right now, because even if I did have a plan, we don’t know how to form Nanoarrow, and you aren’t as bonded to your Bears as you should be, so that’s where we should start”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica stood from her chair and walked away from the table, and out of the room. Calloways eyes followed her.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m, not sure if Angelica is doing alright, she seems a bit shaken up, she’s usually very calm, it might take her a few days to get it together, she’ll do fine after a while, I hope”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They all sat around the table, it was silent, Kane cleared his throat. Laurence looked at Sean and raised his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Tanaka, what’s next, you’re the wise one here, maybe you can come up with something”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean dug into his chest plate and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He sat the paper on the table. In pretty writing Angelica’s name was written on top.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s for the Princess, from Lucentio”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean cleared his throat and sighed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we trust him, seems weird to just trust some random guy you met”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“He can be trusted Kane, Angelica’s dad wouldn’t just give the Bear to anyone, and if he wanted the Bear gone and was on the side of the Anicious, he probably would have got rid of the Green Bear, I trust him, I think you should too”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean shrugged and crossed his arms.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay Sean”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane stood and yawned.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say, anyway, that was boring as fuck, what do you do for fun around here Calloway”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It has been a tick since I’ve done anything, surprised my old bones still work, I would teach you all how to play catch the Caroopa, but there’s not a Caroopa in sight all the way out here”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone scrunch their faces up in confusion. Page sniffled quietly.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what else is around here”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have a training deck, Lyle used to spend most of his time there, it has fake bots or something like that, I’ve personally never been in there, we have video games, I used to be pretty good at Fight o’ nots, I’m pretty sure no one has ever beaten my high score”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Calloway puffed his chest out as he said that, twirling a white mustache between his fingers. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and the pool, I’m pretty sure that’s still down here, Zyair used to swim laps in the pool, everyone used to race, later on Zyair would swim laps by himself”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Calloway was visibly sad, just at the mention of Zyair’s name. Kane pulled off his chest plate, leaving him just in the black shirt that was underneath.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is Zyair”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s the old Paladin of the Blue Bear, he was very outgoing, a very nice boy, he kind of changed towards the end of everything though, I wish he wasn’t so sad”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane’s chest plate clanked on the table as he threw it. He popped his knuckles, his leather gloves squeaked  as they moved together. He turned to Calloway, his bayard in hand.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about Zyair, where’s the training deck”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean hit Kane in the back of his head with his real hand. Kane glared at him. Sean just shook his head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“One Kane, you’re still hurt, you should rest or bandage it, two, I’m sorry to hear about Zyair, Calloway, he sounds wonderful”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was wonderful, I-I’m sure you all are wonderful too, I- we’re gonna have to get to know each other, and we’ll have plenty of time, the Anicious can’t be beat by tomorrow, as I’m sure you guys saw today”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane scoffed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine Sean, it’s a cut, my leg isn’t gone, I’m going to the training deck”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane started to walk to the door. He grabbed the doorframe with his hands.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to be hurt. Calloway mentioned a healing pod, you should take care of yourself Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no shit, call me whenever dinner is ready, I’ll be on the training deck, I’ll find it somehow”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane shoved himself off of the doorframe, the heels of his shoes clicked against the floor. Everyone else was left in their seats, Sean rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh anyway, I think I’m gonna come up with a plan to beat the Anicious, nothing against Angelica or anything, but I don’t think that she’s gonna make a good plan to defeat them”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean messed with his fake arm, fiddled with a screw, or whatever it was, that was on the side. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even know where to start, I’ll figure something out”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m gonna cook dinner for us, do you want to help Hugo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence rubbed his eyes and looked at Hugo. Hugo was the only one out of the Silver Creek trio that could cook. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Laurence, you can’t cook worth a shit, you just want to watch me cook and eat all of the ingredients, you’ve done this a million times dude, I’m not that dumb”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true Hugo, I can cook, Madre Murillo would kill me if I couldn’t cook”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo waited as the doors opened for the two of them, they headed down one of the hallways from the room they were just in, hoping to find the kitchen.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why don’t you ever cook, I cooked every meal for us at Silver Creek, where the fuck is Page”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A peice of metal clanked on the floor. Page popped out of the box of metal scraps, a cube in one hand and a small torch in the other. Their glasses were askew and their hair was a mess.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m here, what do you need”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you hear anything I just said, I’m making dinner, do you want to help”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page laughed and shook their head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“None of this tech is anything like I’ve ever seen before, the Bears, and even whatever this crap is, it’s crazy, the weapons are pretry cool too, I’m gonna look at those more in depth later, now I’m gonna finish looking at this box”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence shrugged and walked backwards out of the room.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your loss Page, let’s find the kitchen Hugo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo followed behind Laurence like a lost dog. They eventually found a huge kitchen. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling, a dark, marble island sat in the middle, dark wood cabinets lined the room, white barstools surrounded the island. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit, definitely a kitchen fit for, a princess I guess”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo had the cabinets open, they were mostly empty, spices filled up one of the smaller cabinets. That was about it. The fridge had what looked and smelled like mint, some sauces that neither of them had ever heard of, and a bunch of weird dark green goo.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck is this”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo pulled it out of the fridge and sat it on the counter, it jiggled after the plate hit the counter, both Hugo and Laurence let out noises of disgust.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least it smells good, you taste it, it’s probably good”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ate dirt as a kid Laurence, you’re fucking eating it, you’re probably immune to whatever disease this shit might have”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence scoffed and leaned against one of the counters. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the counter at his feet.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s stupid Hugo, shouldn’t the chef always eat the dish first”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well we’re both cooking it so, you are the chef buddy, hand me something that smells like paprika, or tastes like it, oh and eat the green goo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence searched for a spoon, he eventually found one, it was engraved with the same symbols as Kane’s sword and was shaped a little different, but it was a spoon. Laurence stood spoon in hand in front of the goo.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna eat it, I’m sure it taste like mint, paprika doesn’t really go with mint, I didn’t think about that, just fucking eat it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence scooped up the goo and turned it in front of his face. Taking in a deep breath he popped the goo into his mouth. His face scrunched up on instinct, he held the goo in his mouth, he was scared to swallow it. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It took him a minute to realize it didn’t taste like anything. He stoped chewing the goo and paused. Hugo looked at him, his eyes widened.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Laurence, what’s wrong”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence finally swallowed it. He looked down at the goo and rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t taste like anything, it’s bland, like air, it literally has no taste”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you react like that”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was scared it was going to taste bad, but it literally tastes like nothing, it was kind of surprising”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo shrugged and took out another spoon, he scooped some into his mouth and swallowed. He shrugged his shoulders and sat his spoon down by the bowl.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, that gives us a lot of room though, we can make it taste however we want, got any ideas”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence stood on his tippy toes to reach a spice that was just out of his reach, he read the label and smiled.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I have an idea”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>———————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was colder on the training deck than on the rest of the ship. Kane wasn’t wearing his gear, he only had his leg gear on and the stupid turtleneck that made him feel like he was suffocating. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He would freeze if he took the turtleneck off. The cold nipped at the skin on his face, he was probably red in the face honestly. He wasn’t paying attention to that though. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A bot with a small round head, beady red eyes, and long arms and legs, stood in front of Kane with a rifle in hand. It was aimed for his head. Before the bot could shoot, Kane sank his bayard into the bots neck. It flickered and fell, then disappeared. Another bot appeared in front of him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He moved with ease, even though he was never much of a fighter, well, with a weapon anyway, he felt like the sword was made for him. It was light and could be swung easily. It sliced through the bots like butter, he laughed lightly as he took out another.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He was comfortable here. In the back of his mind he knew he wouldn’t be. Being comfortable didn’t seem to last, something always fucked it up. Kane wanted to savior the feeling as long as he could.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Level nine, difficulty, easy”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The same robotic voice that had announced the other levels chimed. He felt like he had been at it for more than nine levels. He hadn’t really paid attention though. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Fatigue hadn’t set in yet, which was nice. It wasn't that surprising, he ran along the canon every morning before the sun rose. He would read indoors when he wasn’t exploring the cave. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t believe that the cave would get him here, in space, a place he longed to be but never thought he would get to. Here he was, in a castle in space. It felt like a dream, maybe it was a nightmare.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Two bots ran towards him, Kane slid past one of them, grabbing its leg as he pasted it and drug it with him, causing it to fall down. The other bot missed a shot by a mile, Kane was able to kick its feet and knock it down, the bot hit its head and disappeared. Two more bots ran towards Kane, he jumped and planned to strike the bot in front of him on the head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pause simulation”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Kane could strike the bot, it disappeared. He was caught off guard and managed to not connect his sword to the metal floor, he hit his shoulder against the ground with a grunt. He could hear Sean laughing from the door. Kane turned and glared at him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re hurt Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still mad at you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane was really trying not to snap. He thought Sean wasn’t gonna leave, Sean told him he wasn’t going to. Then he left, promising he would come back, and never did. Kane was left alone again.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I know that doesn’t mean much to you, I didn’t plan on getting kidnapped by aliens when I went to space, kind of ironic isn’t it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane tried not to laugh, he was supposed to be mad.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always said aliens weren’t real, you didn’t have to get kidnapped by aliens to prove I was right”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe if I believed you it wouldn’t have happened, even though all your evidence was pretty bullshit Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane rolled his eyes. He let himself smile.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t bullshit, you just thought it was bullshit, it’s kind of weird to know I’m right”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They were both quiet for a moment. Kane could see Sean think. He always thought too much. Kane was never sure why Sean chose to mentor him. Sean always over thought everything, Kane never thought anything through. That was one of the many things that set them apart. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess it is, I wish I would have found out about aliens by something like a parade instead of a war, but, I should have listened to you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane had forgotten about the mad thing. He could pretend to be mad all he wanted, he couldn’t stay mad at Sean. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you too kiddo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t fucking call me that”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean shook his head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you really okay with fighting”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what I planned to do anyway, I just found a way to get around it I guess, after you guys didn’t come back, Irving went a little crazy and changed the plan of Silver Creek”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane paused and pulled off his glove with his teeth. His knuckles were bruised. He doesn’t remember why. He put his glove in his other hand and held it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“He made fighters instead of astronauts, it’s now Silver Creek School for Fighter Pilots, instead of just Silver Creek”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got expelled”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane paused for a second, then shrugged. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“ I left, it was the right thing to do”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was worth more to you than going to space, you not fighting in the war”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane grunted.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I went there to be an astronaut, and they told me I was gonna be fighting in a war, we shouldn’t have been in in the first place, that’s why I left, well part of it, anyway”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean paused and looked at Kane, really looked at him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not telling me something”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane went to speak, and hesitated. He turned away from Sean and took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Resume simulation”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>——————————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, I liked it better before Laurence, the fuck did you put in it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo forced himself to swallow the goo. He grimaced, tears formed at the corners of his eyes. Page spit the food out and looked at Laurence, who was eating the food normally.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not bad, you’re just exaggerating, I think it’s pretty good, taste almost like Leonardo’s cooking”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo licked a paper towel before setting the goo down. He looked at Laurence and scoffed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That explains everything, are we really serving this to everyone”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence picked up the plate and grabbed smaller plates from the cabinet. He grabbed a handful of five pronged forks, then turned towards the door. He walked out and yelled down the hallway.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dinners ready”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo and Page followed him, their feet shuffled against the metal floor. On their way past the training deck, Laurence banged on the doors and practically skipped towards the area they found the Princess and Calloway. He set the food down and placed plates and forks at everyone’s spot.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane and Sean walked in. Sean looked like he was thinking too hard, his eyebrows were drawn together, his mouth in a straight line. Kane looked pissy, but he always looked pissy, so Laurence didn’t think much about it. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bone appetite, my friends, and Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go to hell” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He definitely was a bit pissy. Laurence was fine with that. He gestured to the food and smiled.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead and eat”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page and Hugo watched as everyone ate the food. Angelica had joined them. It was obvious that she had been crying. Calloway glanced at her from the side of his eye as he put a spoon full of food into his mouth. His lips pressed together. He cleared his throat twice. Kane, who didn’t notice Calloway’s reaction pop some of the goo into his mouth, had the same reaction as Calloway.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, Hugo, this is really, mhm, good”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane coughed, and forced out a lopsided smile. Hugo looked at him and scoffed, Sean was trying to swallow his food.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t make this shit, Laurence did”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane spit the food out, the chewed up blob fell onto his plate with a plop. He licked the back of his hand to get the taste out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s not that bad mullet”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fucking horrible Laurence, I was just being nice because I thought Hugo made it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo looked from the goo to Kane, he looked a bit offended.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m hurt that you thought I made this, I’m a little bit better at cooking than this”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You literally burnt microwave noodles Hugo, I don’t wanna hear it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean cleared his throat. They all looked up at him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go get something else, or eat this, I guess, we don’t have to argue about this, it’s food”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It taste like nothing Sean, literally nothing, before this it tasted like air”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean sighed and stared at Laurence for a minute. Laurence thought he was gonna get yelled at, but didn’t get yelled at. Sean just stood up and left, everyone looked over at Laurence and said nothing.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried my best okay, the man is going through it right now, he’s being emo, not my fault, I think the goo taste fine”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sean is the furthest thing from emo, he hates everything about it actually”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence turned to Kane and rolled his eyes dramatically. Kane’s face stayed the same.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you would know, Gerard Way reject, shut the fuck up Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane was about the spit back at Laurence when Hugo put his hands on both of their chests and looked between them.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a stupid thing to argue about, don’t start anything Laurence, please, it’s unnecessary”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck did I do”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page looked between them and cleared their throat.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did kind of start it Laurence, you’re gonna have to work with Kane, even though you have a stupid rivalry, or whatever you guys have going on, and please don’t fight about something as dumb as Kane being a Gerard Way reject”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page giggled behind their hand.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of funny though, because you have the Red Bear, and Danger Days Gerard Way had red hair”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane glared at them with sharp eyes and a frown on his face. He eventually sighed and backed down, he walked towards the door and spoke before he left.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m picking out which room I want, if you see me in it, it’s my room, pick another, I’ll see you all in the morning, I’m too exhausted for this”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened, before Kane walked out he threw on his jacket, a leather jacket that didn’t fit him correctly. He hugged it close to him and walked out without looking behind him. Angelica giggled nervously.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, I, wasn’t aware that they actually weren’t friends, like you hate each other”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica looked at Laurence. Laurence shrugged.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we don’t get along really, we didn’t in freshman year either, that’s kind of where it started, then Kane got kicked out and I got bumped up to the fighters course”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you get along”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence was silent for a second.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, not really sure, I just was jealous of him I guess, I mean Kane sucks, he’s rude and can be pushy, I’m not like that, guess we’re just opposites, nothing about us is the same”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica just looked at him for a second and shook her head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, like Page said earlier, you need to learn to work together, the reason the other Paladins failed was because, as Calloway told me, they didn’t work well together and fell apart, that can’t happen here”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Her shoulders slumped slightly.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You all are, not only your planet, but every other planet that is in space, last hope, you are what will save everyone from the Anicious, if you like it or not, I’m sorry it turned out this way”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She regained her posture and stood tall.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you are what will save us all from extinction, I do not want my species to go extinct Laurence, you will have to learn to work with Kane, or you will be the end of us all”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence swallowed and stared at her. He was speechless. What the fuck were you supposed to say to that. Angelica looked away from him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m sorry, it is important, but I didn’t mean to make you, I’m sorry”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m sorry, it should matter more to me, they talk about the war all the time at Silver Creek and how it’s affected a lot of people, including you, especially you, I’m so sorry”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled at him. Laurence felt his heartbeat spike when pink eyes squinted at him and pearly white teeth flashed at him, white curls bounced. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful, now if we all could get on good terms, and find a way to work well with each other, I think you guys might survive as Nanoarrow Paladins”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo sighed and shook his head. Page stared at Angelica with large eyes.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be happy to start working on that sometime tomorrow, for now I’ll go make our food, I’ll call you when it’s done, it’s not hard to mess up Food Goo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She mumbled the last part, waved, and headed out the door to the kitchen with pep in her step, her white curls bounced more than before, Laurence's face felt warm.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s pretty”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence didn’t think he said it that loud, he guessed he was wrong, because Calloway came out of nowhere and hit him in the back of the head with his hand. Laurence flinched and groaned as the hand hit him hard enough to knock his head forward.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck Calloway”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave the Princess alone, what makes you think that you’re worthy enough to date royalty”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence rubbed his eyes and tried to get the sparkles that surround Calloway as he said royalty, to go away, they didn’t disappear. Hugo and Page were also rubbing their eyes next to him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, sorry Calloway, I don’t know I guess, my ninth grade girlfriends mom liked me, so someone else liked, that’s a reason I guess, I don’t know Calloway, I just think she’s pretty”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Calloway stopped sparkling and glared at him, his long, bony finger poked Laurence in the chest. Laurence eyes, that were scrunched up in confusion, looked down at the finger then back to Calloway.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay away from Princess Angelica, Archelaus wouldn't choose you to be with his daughter and neither will I”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, ‘kay, Angelica said that she would call us anytime for training tomorrow, I’m not sure what that means around here, but back at home that means early, so”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence headed towards the door and slowly walked out, he finger gunned at Calloway with an awkward smile on his way out. He sprinted down the hallway as soon as he was out of the doors. Leaving Calloway, Page, and Hugo in the room.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he always that weird”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page and Hugo shrugged and hummed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah, he’s just Laurence I guess, he’s special, love him to death, wouldn’t trade him for the world”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page scoffed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would, we could have picked Maggie Hodge, she’s actually a good pilot”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Page, be nice to Laurence, he’s our friend, we shouldn’t talk about him behind his back”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page shrugged and headed towards the door, they headed towards where the Bears were docked. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Laurence and I talk about you all the time when you aren’t around”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued walking as Hugo jogged down a steel panel covered hall, the metal floor clicking under his feet, to catch up with Page. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean you talk about me, about what, Page, Page answer me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>——————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean wasn’t really sure what the room was, it looked like a library. it was a bit warmer than the rest of the castle, books lined the walls and went to the ceiling. He would have to show Page the room, they'd probably enjoy it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of the books were about astrology, lots of them Sean knew, the Milky Way was the most familiar, he had spent years studying it, knew the most about it. In the end it was kind of useless. Maybe it would be useful now, with everything he knew about the war, it probably wasn’t.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus, Aegialeus, Ichnaea, Peleus, they looked familiar. He didn’t know if he actually knew them or not. He was moved around a lot, no guard would tell him anything about where he was. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know where he was then. Didn’t want to remember what happened then.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Some things brought good memories, like getting close to Pluto, going on one of the moons, getting there with Micheal and Sebastian. It was huge. Then they were attacked and he lost his arm, and killed way too many innocent people just to say alive. People like him who didn't deserve it, who were as innocent as him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he really innocent?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Some books had scribbled out names of planets, the crossed out names had notes next to them in blue pen in neat handwriting. It took Sean a second to realize what the writing was about, it shocked him when he realized.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eridania, home of the Queens Omnia and Sedona MacQuoid, and the Danian people. Known for the healing waters of the Cromwel River, has gone under today. Once again, the numbers of the Anicious were high, and we weren’t able to fend them off in time. We couldn’t find any survivors, the waters clearly didn’t do shit, I guess healing doesn’t include bringing people back to life. The casualties were around 500,000. It’s a small planet, but a large number of people. Archelaus and I determined that the Danian people, at least on Eridania, are extinct. We couldn’t find any traces of them being capable of space travel, but they might have covered up their tracks and are still alive somewhere. It’s very unlikely, due to the state of their planet and the technology that we can find here. They are around four thousand years behind Eerodoth, things like the wheel and early developments of a candle could be found, but there were no traces of electricity. Lyle seems to be in denial, he thinks there are still people there. Zyair will not talk to us about his feelings about the situation, not surprising as he hasn’t talked in months. Zelkovas said he knows everyone is dead. I am the only one who finds his statement weird. Or who will voice that this statement is weird. I have never been on Zelkovas’s good side since we’ve been in space, this isn’t helping. I am not afraid of Zelkovas, so I don’t give a shit what Zelkovas thinks of me. I hope Omnia, Sedona, and the people of Eridania Rest In Peace, may the Gods take care of them, and let their souls find their way in the afterlife.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sestia, home of King Ignacio and the Sestinian people. The planet was quiet and used bugs as their source of light at night. (I couldn’t find the name of the bugs in any books or in the Nanoarrow database, I’ll update this if I find anything about them). The planet reminded me of Eerodoth, the remains of the planet were beautiful, a pretty blue color. You could see the remains of buildings as we flew past. The alert came in, we got there in six doboshes, the planet was completely gone. We searched under rubble, moved trees, cars, buildings, cleaned streets completely of rubble, and couldn’t find a single survivor. I’ve never heard Green sob like she did, I also cried, we all did. I don’t know how many times I’m going to write this before I get tired of it. It makes me feel like a failure. Everytime we find a planet like this it makes me feel more hopeless. I won’t give up, I refuse to, people are counting on me. May the Gods take care of the people of Sestia, Rest In Peace.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(The bugs are named Lighting Swucran, I should have looked in Bugs of the Universe first, it seems pretty obvious that it would be in there).”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I honestly don’t think I can do this anymore, I don’t know why I started to keep these journals, I guess it’s because I wanted to know how much I could improve, I could look back on these and realize that we were doing good, that we were succeeding in our goal to keep everyone safe. I wanted to see that I had worth. I have never written about our accomplishments, only our failures. I don’t even know the name of this planet, I stopped asking Marcella, I get attached and start thinking about who these people are, what their culture is like, what they’re accomplished, what they can accomplish, what they could have accomplished. Then I get sad when I realize all of them are gone. I knew when I received the bayard of the Green Bear this wasn’t going to be easy, I didn’t know that we would be the Paladins that failed at saving everyone. People have lost hope, I don’t want to lose hope, I’m praying I don’t. I’m tired of failing everyone.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Zyair’s dead. We’re useless now. Archelaus’s cameras didn’t do shit either, I looked in the Blue Bear and couldn’t find what killed Zyair. I’m going to assume the flood of Anicious did. Now we’ve really failed everyone. We can’t do anything now. Rise to the Anicion empire I guess. (Also, Lighting Swucran are extinct, it’s been three months since we’ve been there, the Outer Worlds Bug Association declared them extinct a few days ago. I’m glad I got to see them while they were still alive. I didn’t know I’d see any bug go extinct in my lifetime. I don’t know why I even care. Our lives are just filled with death I guess. I loved you Zyair, see you one day buddy).”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>There were pages torn out of the book, other entries that were short and not interesting. Things that he didn’t understand in a language he didn’t know. Stuff about medical entries and diseases that he hadn’t heard of. One of them just said “fuck Zelkovas”, it made Sean laugh softly, he quit when he realized that it was probably for something serious, just because it was about Zelkovas. For what he knew about Zelkovas, he didn’t do anything half-assed. In the back there were doodles of bears and other drawings of people. Maybe a self portrait or two.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was signed by Rehan on the last page.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean pulled another book from a shelf and flipped to a page, the same handwriting filled up the page. He sat the book down on a small coffee table, and went back to the same bookshelf. He pulled another book, he found the handwriting again, and again and again. Soon the small coffee table was covered with leather covered journals, books piled around a red velvet chair. Any books Sean found with the writing in, even books like “Poisonous Plants from Planets Around Your Solar System” and “Homemade Remedies for Lesser Known Colds”, that just had the hand writing in the margins went into piles around the chair.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The library was huge, bigger than any room he had ever been in, bigger than any spacecraft he had even been in. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean didn’t know how long they would be in space. He knew Zelkovas couldn’t be beat by tomorrow, especially since they didn’t know anything about Nanoarrow, other than it was supposed to save the Universe. Rehan knew more about Nanoarrow than any of them, including Angelica. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean looked up from the journal and sighed when he saw the size of the library. This was gonna take a while.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>————————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was five in the morning. Angelica said they would be woken up earlier. Laurence didn’t know how early that was. He found it use less to sleep now. Earlier in his house meant six o’clock on the dot. He assumed the same for Angelica.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo snored in the room to his left. The tinkering in the room to his right stopped hours ago. The light was still on in the library. Laurence didn’t check if Sean was awake or not. He just peeked his head out of the door to see the light still on. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean hadn’t left the library. Laurence didn’t want to bug him. He didn’t know what he was doing, his mom would have yelled at him for snooping. He peeked his head in an hour ago and pulled it right back out when Sean jumped. He heard him say hello, heard him move from his chair. Laurence didn’t know if Sean had said anything else, he ran back to his room before he could hear anything that Sean said.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he tried to sleep again. He just stared at the ceiling. He thought about his mom, sister, and brother. He realized he wouldn’t see them again anytime soon. To get his mind off of his family he spent time convincing Sean the Castle of Bears was haunted. He would rattled the doors and quietly run away, or flicker the lights on and off in the library. Eventually Sean tried to talk to the “ghost” in the library. Laurence didn’t believe in ghosts, which upset his family, that made him bored so he went back to his room and stared at the ceiling some more.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he should have talked to Sean, or just sat in the library with him. Sean probably had some interesting stories to tell, some knowledge to pass down. Something kept Laurence from going. He shoved his hands in his pocket and felt the tangled up cord of headphones. A small laugh bubbled from his throat.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t bother to untangle them, he just plugged the headphone jack into the port and shoved the ear buds into his ears. Laurence didn’t recognize the song, that was probably the best, he would have skipped the song if he wasn’t trying to sleep.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He eventually dozed off, the thought of his mom’s cooking was the last though on his mind.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>———————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Paladins, wake up, Zelkovas is here for the Bears, get to the main room now”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica’s voice boomed throughout the castle. Sean sat down the book he had been working on, and ran out the door, pulling on his chest plate as he sprinted down the hall. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane sprinted out of his room in front of him, jacket in hand, boots clanking on the floor. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached the main room, Angelica stood with her arms crossed. Calloway and Angelica stood together in the center of the room. Sean’s heart clenched at the sight.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s happened, is everything alright”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica stuck her finger up to silence him. Sean’s eyebrows drew together. Page slid into the doorway, their suit was askew, helmet on crooked. They stopped beside Sean and took off their helmet.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright Princess”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They got the same treatment, Angelica’s pointer finger raised, her fingers tapping on a stopwatch that rested in her hand. Hugo busted through the door in the pajamas Calloway had given everyone.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was the noise, is everyone alright, where’s Laurence, is he okay” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica looked up at the four of them and sighed. After a few minutes she looked around at them and back at the stopwatch.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the quiznak is Laurence”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They found Laurence in his room, curled in on his blanket, his face mashed into his pillow. Long legs covered the whole bed, music could be heard from his headphones.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica ripped the headphones from his ears and shook him awake. Laurence yawned and sat up, his eyebrows scrunched when he realized everyone was surrounding him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice was scratchy, a yawn fell from his lips, he stretched his arms above his head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should be glad this isn’t real, if it was, the entire planet the Anicious were attacking would be gone and dead, your duty as a Paladin isn’t to be taken lightly, you should be glad this is just a drill”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about Angelica”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calloway thought it would be good idea to test the alarms since it’s been quite a while they’ve been used, this was also a test you guys, and most of you failed, good job to Sean and Page for being in gear and on time”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica glared at Kane, Laurence, and Hugo.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“The three of you need to get ready, we start your training soon, Page, Sean, you can go to your Bears”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence put his chest plate on backwards, which pissed Angelica off even more. They eventually all got to their Bears, Angelica was still angry when she spoke.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be going to a nearby planet so that we have more room to work with than what we have with the Castle of Bears, you don’t really need ground to make Nanoarrow, I just figured it might be easier for you since you’re starting out”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The five of them waited in their Bears for Angelica’s instructions. Kane hummed something that Hugo didn’t know, it helped it not be as silent.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Angelica is being kind of pissy today, definitely different than her mother’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s probably just stressed Yellow it’s fi-“</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve sent you all the coordinates to the planet, and the area that I was told we could use, Lucentio has gone on a trip and will not be there, don’t try to destroy anything, I don’t want to lose an ally”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page barked out a laugh.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too bad, you would have got to see Lucentio a lot sooner than you thought”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean was quiet for a minute.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think he doesn’t want to see me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh shut up”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page rolled their eyes, then scoffed when they realized Sean couldn’t see them.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a king Sean, he probably has kingly duties to tend to, he wanted to see you again, I bet you he did, now focus on Nanoarrow and saving the world buddy”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean mumbled something and lifted out of The Castle of Bears, everyone else followed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you all hear me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Angelica’s voice cracked through their Bears, it was fuzzy, but could be understood.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loud and clear beautiful”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never call me that again Laurence, I have sent you the coordinates to Selpara, specifically where Lucentio wants us to practice, try not to damage anything, he said it’s just desert there, but still”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue giggled as a worm hole was opened for them to go through. Laurence hummed at her.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p><em><span>‘Do</span></em> <em><span>like Angelica, Archelaus would never approve of you, I’m sorry to tell you”</span></em></p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence scoffed, he followed the others into the wormhole.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not, I’m a nice gentleman, I have manners and dress well enough, I think I’m a fine suitor for a Princess”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘One, he’s very protective of her, wouldn’t let anyone put a finger on her after she was born, two he wanted her to marry someone he saw fit, probably a prince, are you a prince’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They ended up in front of a green planet, the dark side of the planet was green, while the desert side of the planet was sunny, heat waves could be seen coming off of the ground.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No Blue, I am not a prince, that shouldn’t mean I’m worth less than a prince, I can bake, speak two languages fluently, I can’t write in Greek, I think I’m a fine choice for Angelica”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane laughed at his sentence, the Red Bear stopped in his tracks, Laurence could see Kane clutching his stomach from inside of Red.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, when pigs fly Laurence, I couldn’t even imagine you with Angelica”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like you could do any better Kane”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane laughed harder at that sentence, he started having a coughing fit. After a few minutes he finally calmed down. Laurence could see him whipping tears from his eyes.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would never want to do better, because I don’t care, Angelica would never be interested in me, I would never be interested in her”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if you did care, I would do better than you, because I have better social skills, and the laddies love me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane busted out laughing again. Sean scolded them for bickering.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two quit, we’re here to figure out how to make Nanoarrow, not argue over girls”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean mumbled something under his breath, “I can’t believe” and “Kane” were the only things any of them could hear. Angelica cleared her throat to interrupt the moment of silence that followed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, uhm, I have never made Nanoarrow before, I don’t know much about that, so good luck, I might know something, feel free to ask me anything”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo heard Yellow chuckle.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It comes together in peices, ram my head into Red, that’s the first peice”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo hummed and looked over to where Kane was talking to Red.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘It has to be pretty hard for it to work, don’t be shy, Red can take a hit’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo didn’t think much about it. Since he didn’t know anything about Nanoarrow, it seemed logical enough. Hugo turned towards Red and pushed the controls forward. Yellow lunged forward, his head bowing, shoulder collided with Red’s shoulder. The blow sent Red spiraling, Kane struggled to get him centered again.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane yelped through the mic, Yellow’s laugh rung through Hugo’s head.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hugo, what the fuck are you doing”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yellow told me to, I’m sorry, I don’t fucking know, made sense to me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane grunted, Red was spewing what Kane guessed were curses.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would that make any sense Hugo”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“ I don’t know”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page rolled their eyes and spoke to Green.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you guys make Nanoarrow in the past”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Black used to do everything, he would lead it and we would all follow, I don’t really know how to explain it, I’m sorry if that’s not much help Page’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page hummed and thought for a second before turned back on their mic, Laurence and Kane were bickering.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Green said that Black would do everything, she doesn’t know how to explain it though, he would start and they would follow, I’m not sure what that means”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can ask him, he’s never said anything to me, I’m not sure he’ll start now, I’m not sure he can hear me”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean could feel the controls shift towards him slightly in his hands. Sean thought he was feeling things and ignored it for a second. Then the tug was slightly harder, it tilted him upwards slightly.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go up, okay buddy, you know more than me, Black wants us to go up, I think”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane spoke without confusion or doubt. Hugo hummed at what Sean said after Kane spoke.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I trust Black, we’ll try it”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>—————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who was going to inform me, that not only one of the Bears, but all of the Bears are missing”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>His sentence started off sweet, then got snappy at the end. Surugou, head of half of the armies of the Anicion empire, flinched. Haven tried to act unfazed, she wasn’t sure if it worked.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t aware of that my liege”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelkovas laughed in his face, a large hand wrapped around his chin, fingers and thumb touched each side of Surugou’s face.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what I do to liars Surugou, you wouldn’t want to end up like that, would you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought about it for a second. He did know what Zelkovas did to liars, he had watched it too many times.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not lying my liege, I would have informed you if I knew”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was silent for what seemed like hours. Zelkovas eventually let go of Surugou’s face. He refrained from rubbing the marks that were left by blunt nails. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should be glad that I have no one else to run your army at the moment”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Surugou let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. His shoulders shook with the intensity of it.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelkovas stared at him, Surugou knew better than to meet his eyes. Surugou didn’t want to meet his eyes. They were dark and held secrets he didn’t want to know, he had never wanted to know.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They just stood there. He waited for Zelkovas’s dismissal, it never came.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could put my other general in charge of you army, he’s certainly better at making decisions than you are, I’m not sure if he could handle it though, he’s a bit of a mess”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Surugou knew he wouldn’t, his other general was practically a child, he was much younger than them, you could tell sometimes. He never had made a mistake though, was smarter than the two of them. He wasn’t a fighter, only gave commands. He still had the marks of a general.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he would do fine with two army’s, what about you, very smart, on the other hand, he’s soft, that’s his weakness, that’s why I’ve kept you, you fight your own battles, he has other do it for him”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Surugou nodded, and again, they stood in unnerving silence. It made something churn in Surugou’s stomach. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want all of The Bears back in their places by the end of the day, or there will be consequences, the people who took them are to be killed, understood”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Surugou quietly gave him a “yes sir”. Again they stood in silence, that was never a good sign.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are dismissed Surugou”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Haven still stood where she was, unmoving, her frail body was hunched over more than usual.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the quintessence ready yet Haven, if he can’t do his job correctly we will need to inject it soon”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It still kills hippitar, it’s not ready, that’s the only drawback”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t get mad, didn’t see the point in arguing with her, she knew more than he did on the subject anyway, maybe, he listened well enough.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think I’m as ugly as a hippitar, that’s quite rude, don’t you think Haven”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up and raised her eyebrows, she didn’t laugh. He sighed and pinched his eyes closed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just, keep working on it, I need it sooner than I thought, a few months might not be soon enough”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes my liege, I’ll continue to work on it, I’ll let you know the second it can be used on you”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed air out of his nose and sighed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Haven, you are dismissed”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Haven swiftly walked away from the room, she hated that room.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>——————————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think your Bear was lying Sean”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They had done what Black was implying. They all flew up at the same time but nothing happened. Page suggested they switch orders of who was next to who. They did that in every order imaginable. Still, nothing.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are the trails still behind us when we go, I haven’t paid attention the last few times”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so Page, I saw Yellow’s trail last time we did it, I didn’t pay attention this time”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Page hummed and got quiet.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we aren’t able to, like we aren’t meant for it or something”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘We chose you all as our Paladins Laurence, that shouldn’t be a problem, I honestly thinks it’s a problem with one of us, though I won’t mention who, hopefully he gets the hint, and gets it together’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue’s voice increased towards the end of her sentence, Laurence had a clue who she was talking about.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey quit, isn’t Black part of your family, you shouldn’t talk to family like that, he’s probably just nervous, it’s been awhile”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’s done it more than a million times Laurence, that shouldn’t be a quiznacking excuse’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Laurence sighed. He didn’t say anything else.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m sure that Black will come through, c’mon buddy”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean sounded a little hopeless and worried, he always sounded worried to Laurence though. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane went to say something but got interrupted by a loud noise before he could start. A wormhole opened in front of them, Anicion ships flooded out of the hole and surrounded them. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surrender to the Anicion Empire, or there will be consequences”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean took in a big breath and let it out. He didn’t know what he was doing, due didn’t know anything about Black, or anything about being a Paladin of Nanoarrow. He did know that they would be in danger, and that they would probably be killed. Selpara would probably be destroyed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean watched the other Bears come together in a small circle, he refused to do that, he knew they would be taken, they would lose the war. He had already almost given up on it once, he wasn’t doing that again.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He flew above the group and pushed the control sticks forward. It shot out a line of lasers that sliced the ships in half, he was immediately shot at, which allowed the other Bears to escape the circle.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sean what the fuck are you doing”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane yelled it, it rang in Sean’s ears as he took out two more ships.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to figure out how to make Nanoarrow now, maybe because we need to, we’ll be able to, try it again team”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo mumbled something under his breath, before he could finish mumbling Sean cut him off.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hugo shut the fuck up and listen to me, fly up again, three, two, one”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>All of them followed Sean. The Bears came together, they changed their forms to fit body parts, they all fit into each other seamlessly. They clinked into arm and leg holes, the Black Bear sitting on top and the head. The paws of the Bears secured their places. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Nanoarrow stood proud, the face vaguely resembled that of a bear, Red and Green as arms, Blue and Yellow as legs. Red wings came out of the back. The large “N” that was on their suits was imprinted on its chest. They thought the Bears were big before, Nanoarrow was five times the size.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The Anicion ships paused for a moment, they stared in awe. Most of them had ever heard of Nanoarrow, didn’t know of any that big, it was terrifying.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Kane, if you put your bayard into the small hole in the front of the panel, you should be able to create a sword, that’s the easiest way to defeat them, at the moment at least’</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane did as Red said. A sword formed in the palm of Nanoarrow’s hand. Kane moved and swung the sword into the army of Anicious. It hit them like a bat hitting a baseball, sending them all scattering into space. The ships fled, just like that, the fleet was now gone, they entered a wormhole and left.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKzzplhTSu/</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!! I’m hoping to get the next chapter out sooner, and for it not to be such a mess! I hope I remember everything that’s in here! The link at the bottom is a drawing I did of the Paladin suits, it’s not the whole thing. I also spent like ten minutes trying to figure out how to put pictures on Ao3, I could only figure out how to put a link to my Instagram, I’m sorry about that. I’m going to be working hard on the story line so I can write a lot faster, I’m so sorry it took like three months. If anyone has any ideas on what I could do, I will eat that shit up, I kind of need it. I have all of Lotor’s stuff planned out by the way, but that’s not for a while. Everything else is pretty open. I would love to hear from anyone!! Again I’m really sorry about most of the things that happened here, it’s a mess. Thank you for reading!!</p><p> </p><p>https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKzzplhTSu/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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